JSON ↔ XML Converter - Bidirectional JSON and XML Conversion

How to use this tool

1. Paste JSON into the JSON panel or open a local .json file, then click "JSON to XML".
2. Paste XML into the XML panel or open a local .xml file, then click "XML to JSON".
3. Choose the root name, indentation, XML attribute mapping, and declaration options as needed.
4. Copy or download either pane. Files are read locally in your browser.

Conversion challenges

JSON and XML have different data models, which creates mapping challenges:

• Arrays: JSON has native arrays; XML represents them as repeated elements with the same tag name, losing explicit list semantics
• Attributes vs. elements: XML can attach metadata via attributes (id="42"); JSON has no native attribute syntax, so this converter uses a selectable key prefix such as @_id to preserve the distinction.
• Mixed content: XML elements can contain both text and child elements simultaneously; JSON objects cannot directly represent this
• Key order: JSON object keys have no guaranteed order; XML child element order is significant in many schemas

When to use each format

Namespace handling

XML namespaces (e.g. xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/") have no JSON equivalent. This tool's basic converter drops namespace declarations on XML->JSON conversion and does not add them on JSON->XML. For SOAP envelopes, XBRL, or other namespace-heavy XML formats, use a server-side XSLT transform or a library like fast-xml-parser (Node.js) with namespace support enabled.

Conversion Rules

JSON objects become XML elements with child elements for each key. Arrays are serialized as repeated elements sharing the same tag name. Primitive values (strings, numbers, booleans) become text nodes, with XML special characters properly escaped. The root element defaults to root, and you can select two-space, four-space, or tab indentation and choose whether to include the XML declaration. Invalid XML-name characters are replaced with underscores.

XML attributes use the @_ prefix in JSON by default: an XML attribute such as id="42" becomes "@_id": "42". You can select @, _, or ignore attributes for compatibility with element-only data. Text mixed with child elements is represented by #text, although ordering several separate text segments among child elements cannot be preserved by this simple JSON mapping.

Opening and saving files

Open a local .json or .xml file with the Open button, or drop it on either editor. The browser reads the file locally; it is not uploaded. Download saves the text currently shown in either pane. Files over 10 MB remain usable, but large documents may make parsing and conversion slower.

Limitations

The converter does not preserve namespace declarations, processing instructions, or CDATA boundaries. It also coerces simple XML text values such as numbers and booleans into JSON values, so identifiers with leading zeroes can change. For namespace-heavy schemas or exact mixed-content fidelity, use a schema-aware XML library and review its output.