How are XML attributes represented in the JSON output?

Each attribute becomes a key prefixed with @, so becomes {"@id": "1", ...}. That keeps attributes visually distinct from child elements once everything lands in JSON, where the concept of an "attribute" doesn't otherwise exist.

What happens to repeated sibling tags?

When multiple children share the same tag name, they're collected into a JSON array under that tag's key. A single, non-repeated child becomes a plain object instead of a one-item array, matching the most common XML-to-JSON convention.

Does this handle CDATA sections and comments?

CDATA content is included as text, the same as regular text nodes. Comments and processing instructions (like the leading declaration) are parsed but discarded, since they don't carry data that a JSON structure would represent.

Is this the same converter as the one on the JSON tools hub?

Yes, it uses the same underlying parser and produces identical output to the XML to JSON Converter listed under JSON tools. This version lives on the XML hub for people who start from an XML document and are browsing XML-specific tools rather than JSON ones.

Can I convert the JSON back into the original XML?

Use the JSON to XML Converter to reverse it. Round-tripping is close but not always byte-identical, since the @-prefix attribute convention and original whitespace/comment formatting aren't guaranteed to be preserved exactly.

XML to JSON Converter - Convert XML to JSON Online

Overview

Introduction

XML still shows up everywhere in configuration files, SOAP APIs, and legacy enterprise systems, but modern JavaScript and most current tooling works far more naturally with JSON. This converter bridges the two entirely in your browser, no server round trip and no upload step.

It's the tool to reach for when you've been handed an XML payload or config and need to work with it in a JSON-based codebase, test fixture, or piece of documentation.

What Is XML to JSON Converter?

An XML-to-JSON converter walks a parsed XML document tree and maps its elements, attributes, and text content onto an equivalent plain JavaScript value, then serializes that value as indented JSON.

It uses a hand-written parser rather than the browser's DOMParser, so conversion behaves identically whether it runs client-side or during any future server-side rendering pass.

How XML to JSON Converter Works

Your XML is tokenized into tags and text runs, then assembled into a tree using a stack-based parser that tracks open and close tags in the same spirit as a SAX parser.

Each element's attributes become @-prefixed keys, an element whose only content is text takes that text as its value directly, and any tag name that repeats among siblings is collected into a JSON array rather than overwriting a single key.

When To Use XML to JSON Converter

Use it when migrating a legacy XML config or API response into a JSON-based system, or simply to read an unfamiliar XML payload's shape more easily than scanning raw markup.

It's also handy mid-integration, to quickly compare what an XML API returns against the JSON shape your code actually expects.

Often used alongside JSON to XML Converter, XML to YAML Converter and XML Validator.

Features

Advantages

Runs entirely client-side, so XML containing real config or credentials never leaves your browser.
Handles attributes, nested elements, and repeated sibling tags without any manual mapping.
Output is immediately usable, pretty-printed JSON you can paste straight into code or a fixture file.
Same parser and output shape as the JSON-hub version, so results are consistent no matter which page you use.

Limitations

XML namespaces are folded into the tag name rather than represented as a separate concept.
Mixed content (text interleaved with child elements at the same level) is a lossy case for any XML-to-JSON mapping, this converter included.
The @-prefix attribute convention is one of several common ones; a downstream system expecting a different convention will need the output adjusted.

Examples

Converting an element with an attribute

Input

<user id="1"><name>Ada</name></user>

Output

{
  "user": {
    "@id": "1",
    "name": "Ada"
  }
}

The id attribute becomes @id, and the child <name> element becomes a nested key.

Repeated tags become an array

Input

<roles><role>admin</role><role>editor</role></roles>

Output

{
  "roles": {
    "role": [
      "admin",
      "editor"
    ]
  }
}

Both <role> siblings share a tag name, so they're collected into a JSON array instead of one overwriting the other.

An unclosed tag is reported, not guessed at

Invalid input

<root><item>value</root>

Parser error

Unclosed tag <item> at line 1, column 26

Conversion requires well-formed XML first; the parser reports exactly where it stopped.

Corrected version

<root><item>value</item></root>

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Check how repeated tags convert for your specific document; arrays only form when a tag name repeats among direct siblings, not globally.
Validate the resulting JSON's shape before wiring it into code that expects a specific structure.
Run the XML Validator first if you're unsure whether the source document is well-formed.

Developer Notes

This tool calls the same `xmlToJson` function (from the JSON category's `lib/xml-to-json.ts`, itself backed by the shared `parseXml` in `yaml/lib/xml-core.ts`) that powers the JSON-hub XML to JSON Converter, so output is byte-identical between the two pages. Keeping this as a distinct slug/page lets the XML hub link to a JSON conversion without sending visitors to a different category's URL structure.

XML to JSON Converter Use Cases

Migrating a legacy XML API response into a JSON-based codebase
Converting an XML config file for use with JSON-based tooling
Comparing an XML payload's structure against the JSON shape your code expects
Producing a JSON fixture from a sample XML document for tests

Common Mistakes

Expecting XML namespaces to be preserved distinctly; they're currently folded into the tag name.
Assuming mixed content (text and elements interleaved) converts cleanly; it's a lossy case for any XML-to-JSON mapping.
Forgetting that a single, non-repeated child element becomes an object, not a one-item array.

Tips

If your downstream code needs arrays even for single elements, wrap the value afterward, this converter follows the 'array only when repeated' convention.
Pair with the JSON to XML Converter to check what a round trip does to your specific document.
Upload a .xml file directly instead of copy-pasting if the document is large.

XML to JSON Converter