XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. It is designed to store and transport data, with a focus on simplicity, generality, and usability across the Internet. XML is widely used in web services, configuration files, and data exchange between different systems.
XML is ideal for:
Web Services: Implementing SOAP and REST web services with structured data
Configuration: Storing application and system configuration data
Data Exchange: Transferring structured data between different systems
Document Storage: Storing and managing document-based data
Self-Describing: Data structure is defined within the document itself
Schema Support: Can be validated against XML Schema (XSD)
Hierarchical: Supports complex nested data structures
Wide Support: Extensive tooling and library support across platforms
Verbose: Larger file size compared to other formats like JSON
Complex: More complex to parse and process than simpler formats
Processing Overhead: Requires more processing power to parse and validate