JSON to XML Converter

Worked Examples

Simple object

Input JSON:

{"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "active": true}

Output XML (root element: root):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <name>Alice</name>
  <age>30</age>
  <active>true</active>
</root>

Nested objects

{"server": {"host": "localhost", "port": 8080}}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <server>
    <host>localhost</host>
    <port>8080</port>
  </server>
</root>

Arrays, null and empty objects

An array repeats the element of its key. A top-level array uses item. null and {} both become an empty element:

{"order":{"id":1001,"items":[{"sku":"A-1","qty":2},{"sku":"B-7","qty":1}],"note":null,"meta":{}}}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <order>
    <id>1001</id>
    <items>
      <sku>A-1</sku>
      <qty>2</qty>
    </items>
    <items>
      <sku>B-7</sku>
      <qty>1</qty>
    </items>
    <note></note>
    <meta></meta>
  </order>
</root>

Element names are kept as written

XML 1.0 allows letters from most scripts in names, so keys such as 名前 or straße become elements with the same name. Text is escaped (< and &):

{"名前": "Ann", "straße": "Hauptstr. 1", "a-b.c": "x<y & z"}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <名前>Ann</名前>
  <straße>Hauptstr. 1</straße>
  <a-b.c>x&lt;y &amp; z</a-b.c>
</root>

A single value is written as the root text, with no extra spaces or line breaks inside the root element:

"hello"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>hello</root>

When JSON → XML stops

The tool does not rename keys or drop data to make the XML fit. It writes nothing and shows the path of the first value it cannot map:

• {"2026": "q", "first name": "Ann"} gives Cannot convert to XML: $["2026"]: this name cannot be used as an XML element name. XML names cannot start with a digit or contain spaces. Names with : are refused as well, because a prefix needs a namespace declaration that this mapping cannot write.

• {"m": [[1, 2], [3]]} gives Cannot convert to XML: $["m"][0]: empty or nested arrays cannot be represented by repeated XML elements. Repeated elements cannot show where one inner array ends and the next begins.

• {"tags": []} gives Cannot convert to XML: $["tags"]: empty or nested arrays cannot be represented by repeated XML elements. An empty array would leave no element at all.

Strings with characters that XML 1.0 forbids, such as U+0000, stop the conversion the same way.

XML to JSON

Pasting this XML into the right panel:

<catalog>
  <book>
    <id>bk101</id>
    <author>Gambardella, Matthew</author>
    <price>44.95</price>
  </book>
  <book>
    <id>bk102</id>
    <author>Ralls, Kim</author>
    <price>5.95</price>
  </book>
</catalog>

gives (pretty print on):

{
  "catalog": {
    "book": [
      {
        "id": "bk101",
        "author": "Gambardella, Matthew",
        "price": "44.95"
      },
      {
        "id": "bk102",
        "author": "Ralls, Kim",
        "price": "5.95"
      }
    ]
  }
}

The two book elements form an array, and 44.95 is a string.

When XML → JSON stops

• <catalog><book id="bk101">…</book></catalog> gives Cannot convert to JSON: /catalog/book[1]/@id: XML attributes cannot be represented by this JSON mapping. Move the value into a child element, as in the example above.

• <p>Hello <b>world</b>!</p> gives Cannot convert to JSON: /p: mixed text and child elements cannot be represented by this JSON mapping. Text next to child elements has no place in a JSON object.

The path counts elements with the same name from 1, so book[2] is the second book under its parent.

Limits

• XML → JSON values are always strings. XML has no number or boolean type, so <qty>2</qty> becomes “2”. Empty elements such as <b/> become "", which means JSON null and {} come back as "" after a round trip.
• One child or many changes the shape. <order><item>A</item></order> gives {"item": "A"}, but two item elements give an array. Code that reads the JSON must handle both.
• Text in leaf elements is kept exactly, including spaces and line breaks around it. Only whitespace between child elements is ignored. Comments and processing instructions are skipped.
• Attributes, namespace declarations and mixed content stop the conversion (see above). This tool does not offer an attribute mapping such as @id keys.
• XML syntax errors come from the browser’s parser, so the wording differs between Chrome, Firefox and Safari. To indent or minify XML without converting it, use the XML formatter.

JSON vs XML

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the standard data format for REST APIs and web services — compact, human-readable, and natively supported in every language. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) remains widely used in enterprise systems, SOAP APIs, configuration files (Maven, Spring), and document formats (SVG, XHTML, RSS). This tool helps you bridge the two formats when integrating systems that speak different data languages.