How are XML attributes represented in the JSON output?

Each attribute becomes a key prefixed with @, so becomes {"@id": "1", ...}. This mirrors a common XML-to-JSON convention and keeps attributes visually distinct from child elements.

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, since JSON objects can't have duplicate keys the way XML elements can repeat.

Does this handle CDATA sections and comments?

CDATA content is included as text; comments and processing instructions (like ) are parsed but discarded, since they carry no data-relevant meaning for the JSON output.

Is this conversion reversible?

Mostly. The JSON to XML converter can turn the result back into XML, though attribute-vs-element distinctions and original formatting details aren't guaranteed to round-trip byte-for-byte.

XML to JSON Converter - Convert Online

Overview

Introduction

XML remains common in configuration files, SOAP APIs, and legacy systems, but most modern tooling and JavaScript code works far more naturally with JSON. This tool bridges the two without requiring a server round trip.

It parses your XML directly in the browser and produces an equivalent JSON structure you can immediately use in code, tests, or documentation.

What Is XML to JSON Converter?

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

It uses a hand-written XML parser rather than the browser's DOMParser, so it works identically during static rendering and in any modern browser.

How XML to JSON Converter Works

The XML text is tokenized into tags and text content, then assembled into a tree using a stack-based parser that tracks open and close tags, similar in spirit to a SAX parser.

Each element's attributes become @-prefixed keys, its text content (if it has no children) becomes the element's value directly, and repeated child tag names are collected into arrays.

When To Use XML to JSON Converter

Use it when migrating a legacy XML config or API response into a JSON-based system, or when you just need to read an XML payload's structure more easily.

It's also useful for quickly comparing an XML API's shape against a JSON equivalent during integration work.

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

Features

Advantages

Runs entirely client-side, so XML content, including sensitive config, never leaves your browser.
Handles attributes, nested elements, and repeated sibling tags without manual mapping.
Output is immediately usable, pretty-printed JSON.

Limitations

XML features like namespaces, DTDs, and mixed content (text interleaved with child elements) are simplified rather than fully preserved.
The attribute-prefix convention (@attr) is one of several common conventions; downstream tools expecting a different convention will need adjustment.

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.

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.
Validate the resulting JSON's shape before wiring it into code that expects a specific structure.
For simple, attribute-free XML, the output is often close to identical to what you'd expect by eye.

Developer Notes

Parsing uses a single regex (`TAG_OR_TEXT`) to tokenize the input into tags, CDATA sections, comments, and text runs, then a stack tracks open elements the same way a SAX-style parser would; this avoids depending on the DOM's DOMParser, which isn't available during server-side rendering, keeping the tool usable both client-side and during any future static prerendering.

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 an equivalent JSON shape

Common Mistakes

Expecting XML namespaces to be preserved distinctly in the output; they're currently treated as part of 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 child element (not repeated) becomes an object, not a one-item array.

Tips

If you need arrays even for single elements, wrap the value afterward, this converter follows the more common 'array only when repeated' convention.
Use the JSON to XML converter to check what a round trip does to your specific document.

XML to JSON Converter