2026-06-06 · 5 min read
- xml
- format
XML remains common in enterprise integrations, SOAP services, Android resources, and legacy config. Unlike JSON, XML carries namespaces, attributes, and mixed content—formatting clarifies structure for human reviewers.
Format vs minify
Pretty-print for code review and support. Minify for bandwidth-sensitive payloads where humans never read the wire format.
Validation tips
A well-indented tree catches duplicated tags faster than a single-line blob.
- Ensure a single root element
- Close every tag or use self-closing syntax
- Escape & < > in text nodes
- Declare namespaces on root when required