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XML Formatter

Pretty-print and indent XML documents, validate well-formedness, and minify XML — with namespace detection and clear error messages.

Pretty-print Minify Well-formedness check Namespace detection Syntax highlight Error messages
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XML common element types

Type Syntax Purpose
Element <tag>value</tag> Core data container
Attribute <tag attr="val"> Metadata about an element
CDATA section <![CDATA[...]]> Literal text, no escaping needed
Processing instruction <?xml-stylesheet href="..."> Instructions for the XML processor
Comment <!-- comment --> Human-readable notes, ignored by parsers
Namespace decl xmlns:prefix="URI" Prevents element name conflicts

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between well-formed and valid XML?

Well-formed XML follows basic syntax rules: every tag is closed, attributes are quoted, and there is exactly one root element. Valid XML additionally conforms to a schema (DTD or XSD) that defines which elements are allowed. Well-formedness is required; validity is optional and depends on whether a schema exists.

What is the difference between XML and HTML?

XML is a data format — it defines structure but not meaning. HTML is a markup language for web documents with predefined tags. HTML parsers are lenient (they guess at unclosed tags); XML parsers are strict. XHTML is HTML written to XML rules. SVG and RSS are XML-based formats.

What are XML namespaces and why are they needed?

XML namespaces prevent element name conflicts when combining XML from different vocabularies. A namespace is a URI assigned with the xmlns attribute. Elements are then prefixed — for example <soap:Envelope>. The URI is just an identifier and does not need to resolve to anything.

When should I use XML instead of JSON?

Prefer XML for document-centric data with mixed content, when you need comments in your data, for SOAP web services, or for formats like SVG, RSS, and XHTML. JSON is lighter and easier to parse in JavaScript, making it the default choice for REST APIs.

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