XML Formatter & Validator
Format, beautify, or minify XML instantly. Paste your XML and get clean, indented output.
XML: Still Everywhere in 2025
XML might feel like a relic from the 2000s, but it's still deeply embedded in modern development. Android manifests are XML. RSS feeds are XML. SOAP APIs (still widely used in finance and healthcare) speak XML. SVG images are XML. Maven and Gradle configs use XML. If you work with enterprise software, you'll encounter XML daily.
Unformatted XML — a single line of nested tags — is virtually impossible to debug. This formatter adds proper indentation, line breaks, and consistent spacing so you can see the document structure at a glance. Paste messy XML, get clean output.
Everything runs in your browser. Your XML data never leaves your device — important when you're formatting API responses that contain production data.
XML vs JSON: When to Use What
| Feature | XML | JSON |
|---|---|---|
| Readability | Verbose but self-documenting | Compact, easier to scan |
| Schema validation | XSD, DTD (powerful, mature) | JSON Schema (newer, less adopted) |
| Attributes | Supported (id="123") | No concept of attributes |
| Namespaces | Full namespace support | No namespaces |
| Comments | <!-- comments --> | Not supported |
| Parsing speed | Slower (DOM/SAX parsing) | Faster (native in JS) |
| Industry adoption | Enterprise, config, document markup | Web APIs, mobile, modern apps |
What this means for you: Use JSON for new APIs and web apps. Use XML when interacting with enterprise systems, Android development, RSS feeds, or any system that requires schemas and namespaces. Both formats will coexist for decades.
Common XML Tasks
Debugging SOAP APIs
SOAP request and response bodies are XML. Format them to see the envelope, header, body, and fault elements clearly. Most SOAP errors are buried in deeply nested XML — formatting makes them visible.
Reading Android manifests
AndroidManifest.xml defines activities, permissions, and services. As apps grow, the manifest gets complex. Formatted XML shows the structure clearly and makes permission audits straightforward.
Editing SVG images
SVG files are XML. Format them to edit paths, colours, viewBox attributes, and groups manually. A single-line SVG from an export is uneditable — formatted SVG is just readable markup.
Config file management
Maven pom.xml, .NET web.config, and many CI/CD tools use XML configs. Formatted XML makes it easy to add dependencies, modify settings, and review changes in version control.
Where You'll Encounter XML
| Context | File/Format | What It Contains |
|---|---|---|
| Android | AndroidManifest.xml | App permissions, activities, services |
| Java/Maven | pom.xml | Dependencies, build config, plugins |
| RSS/Atom | feed.xml | Blog posts, podcast episodes |
| SVG images | .svg | Vector graphics as XML markup |
| .NET | web.config, .csproj | Server config, project settings |
| SOAP APIs | WSDL, request/response | Enterprise API contracts and payloads |
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How to use this tool
Paste your XML into the input area
Click Format for readable indented output, or Minify to compress
Copy the result to your clipboard
Common uses
- Debugging SOAP API request and response payloads
- Reading Android manifest and layout XML files
- Formatting SVG images for manual editing
- Cleaning up Maven pom.xml and config files
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