JSON to XML Converter

Convert JSON to XML for System Integrations and Legacy API Compatibility

JSON and XML are the two dominant data interchange formats in modern software systems, and the reality of working across different platforms means you'll regularly need to move data between them. REST APIs produce JSON; SOAP services and many enterprise systems expect XML. Legacy integrations, EDI pipelines, configuration files for Java-based platforms, and certain data export formats all use XML. Our free JSON to XML converter handles the structural transformation instantly—paste your JSON, click convert, and receive properly formatted, well-nested XML in one step.

The conversion produces clean, indented XML with meaningful element names derived directly from your JSON keys. Each JSON property becomes an XML element tag, preserving the data hierarchy from the original structure. The output includes a standard XML declaration header, making it ready to submit to XML-consuming APIs or save as a `.xml` file without any modification.

How the JSON-to-XML Conversion Works

The structural mapping between JSON and XML follows a predictable logic once you understand the correspondence between the two formats. A JSON object maps to an XML element containing child elements. A JSON key-value pair where the value is a string or number maps to an XML element with text content. A JSON array maps to repeated sibling elements with the same tag name.

For a simple JSON object:

{"firstName": "Alice", "age": 32, "city": "Boston"}

The converter produces:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <firstName>Alice</firstName>
  <age>32</age>
  <city>Boston</city>
</root>

Nested objects produce nested elements, and arrays produce repeated elements. A JSON array like `"tags": ["javascript", "api", "tools"]` becomes three `` elements inside the parent, which is the standard convention for representing arrays in XML when a wrapper element name isn't explicitly specified.

When You Need JSON-to-XML Conversion

SOAP Web Service Integration

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) web services exchange data as XML within a SOAP envelope. When you need to call a SOAP endpoint with data that originated from a JSON REST API response, converting the JSON payload to XML is a necessary intermediate step before wrapping it in the SOAP structure. While enterprise integration tools like MuleSoft and Apache Camel handle this transformation in production pipelines, our converter is invaluable for testing and verifying the transformation logic before implementing it in code.

Enterprise System Feeds and EDI

ERP systems, supply chain management platforms, healthcare data systems (HL7 FHIR), and many government data standards use XML as their primary data exchange format. When extracting data from modern REST APIs to feed into these legacy or regulated systems, JSON-to-XML conversion is a standard integration requirement. Understanding the expected XML structure and verifying that your JSON data converts correctly is something our tool supports directly.

Java and .NET Framework Configuration

Many Java and .NET application frameworks use XML for configuration files, dependency injection mappings, and build system descriptors. If you're working from a JSON-based configuration template or need to convert JSON-structured configuration data into a framework's expected XML format, having a quick conversion tool eliminates manual XML authoring for repetitive or large configuration structures.

Sitemap and RSS/Atom Feed Generation

XML sitemaps for SEO, RSS feeds for content syndication, and Atom feeds for news aggregators are all XML-based formats. If your content management system exports post or page data as JSON and you need to generate an XML feed, the structural conversion is the first step before applying the specific format requirements of the target XML standard.

Key Differences Between JSON and XML Semantics

While the structural conversion between JSON and XML is mechanically straightforward, several semantic differences matter when working across the two formats in real integrations.

JSON distinguishes between data types natively—strings, numbers, booleans, null, objects, and arrays are distinct types. XML represents everything as text content and uses schema definitions (XSD) to enforce typing. A JSON number like `42` becomes the text `42` in an XML element; the type information is lost unless the receiving XML schema defines the element as numeric. Similarly, JSON booleans (`true`/`false`) become the strings "true" and "false" in XML.

XML also supports attributes on elements—`content`—a concept that has no direct equivalent in JSON. JSON-to-XML converters typically don't generate attributes from JSON data since there's no JSON syntax that maps cleanly to XML attributes. If your target XML format requires attributes, the converted XML may need post-processing to restructure specific elements to use attributes rather than child elements.

Free, Private, and Instant

The JSON to XML converter runs entirely in your browser. No JSON data you paste in is transmitted to any server or stored anywhere. The tool is completely free with no account required, works on any device with a modern browser, and handles datasets of any size within your browser's memory limits.