How to Convert XML to JSON
XML to JSON
When to Convert XML to JSON
Parse XML API responses, RSS feeds, SOAP envelopes, and legacy config files into JSON for modern web applications, scripting, and JSON-native tooling.
Real-World Examples
SOAP response XML → JSON for browser inspection
RSS/Atom feed → JSON for a frontend aggregator
<item id="1"> → attribute preserved as @_id
Common Mistakes
- Single-child elements vs arrays — one item may not become an array without configuration
- Namespaces adding unexpected prefix keys in output
- Text nodes mixed with child elements — review mixed content handling
Developer Tips
- Format JSON output for readable inspection
- Check attribute mapping (
@_prefix) before writing code against output - Validate XML is well-formed before converting
Frequently asked questions
How are XML attributes handled?
Attributes are preserved with an @_ prefix on the attribute name in the JSON output.
Are XML namespaces preserved?
Namespace prefixes may appear in element keys depending on the parser. Review output for your specific document.
Can I convert large XML files?
Very large documents may be slow in the browser. For huge files, use a streaming CLI XML parser.