Free JSON to XML Converter Online
Convert JSON payloads to XML format instantly — for legacy APIs, SOAP services, and enterprise integrations.
JSON to XML Converter
Paste JSON input and convert instantly in your browser.
JSON Input
XML Output
How to Convert JSON to XML in 3 Steps
- Paste your JSON into the input panel on the left. The converter validates your JSON as you type and highlights syntax errors before conversion.
- Click Convert — the XML is generated immediately in your browser, no upload required.
- Copy or Download the XML output. Use the copy button for quick paste into your IDE or API client, or download as a
.xmlfile for batch processing.
What Is JSON to XML Conversion?
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (eXtensible Markup Language) are both text-based formats for representing structured data, but they have fundamentally different syntax and capabilities. JSON uses key-value pairs with curly braces and square brackets. XML uses nested elements with opening and closing tags, and supports attributes, namespaces, and document type definitions.
Converting between them is a routine requirement in software integration. A modern REST API returns JSON. A legacy SOAP service, an enterprise message bus, or an ERP system expects XML. A developer in this situation needs to transform the JSON payload into valid XML before the downstream system can process it. This converter handles that transformation automatically — no custom parsing code required.
The conversion is not always a perfect 1:1 mapping because the two formats have different expressiveness. JSON has typed values (numbers, booleans, null). XML treats everything as text by default and encodes types through schema definitions. The converter makes practical decisions — booleans become true / false text values, numbers remain numeric strings in the XML output.
How JSON Structures Map to XML Elements
The converter applies these rules when transforming JSON to XML:
- JSON object keys become XML element tag names.
- JSON string/number/boolean values become the text content inside those elements.
- JSON arrays are expanded to repeated sibling elements with the same tag name.
- Nested objects become nested XML elements.
- JSON null becomes an empty self-closing element:
<field/>. - The root is wrapped in a
<root>element when the top-level JSON is an object.
Example — JSON Input
{
"order": {
"id": 1042,
"status": "shipped",
"items": ["widget", "gadget"],
"address": null
}
}XML Output
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
<order>
<id>1042</id>
<status>shipped</status>
<items>widget</items>
<items>gadget</items>
<address/>
</order>
</root>When Developers Convert JSON to XML
SOAP Web Services
SOAP APIs only accept XML-formatted request bodies. When your application receives JSON from a REST endpoint and must forward it to a legacy SOAP service, this converter bridges the gap.
Enterprise Middleware
Platforms like MuleSoft, IBM MQ, and Oracle SOA Suite route messages as XML documents. Converting JSON payloads to XML lets you push modern REST data into enterprise integration pipelines.
Android Resources & Configs
Android project resources (strings, styles, layouts) are XML files. When your build toolchain or CMS exports data as JSON, you need to transform it before importing into an Android project.
RSS & Atom Feed Generation
RSS and Atom syndication feeds are XML. If your CMS or API returns article metadata as JSON, converting it to XML lets you generate standards-compliant feeds without writing a custom serializer.
SAP & ERP Integration
SAP and most ERP systems exchange data in XML or IDocs. Converting your JSON exports to XML is the first step before loading them into SAP via BAPI or IDoc inbound processing.
Legacy API Adapters
When you build an adapter layer between a modern microservice and a legacy monolith that only speaks XML, JSON-to-XML conversion is the core transformation step.
XML vs JSON: Key Structural Differences
Understanding why JSON and XML differ in structure helps you anticipate how the converter will handle your data and where you may need to post-process the output.
| Feature | JSON | XML |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax | Key-value pairs, brackets | Nested open/close tags |
| Data types | String, number, boolean, null, array, object | Text only (types via XSD) |
| Attributes | No native attributes | Tag attributes e.g. id="1" |
| Namespaces | Not supported | Full namespace support |
| Comments | Not supported | <!-- comment --> syntax |
| Payload size | Compact | Verbose (repeated tag names) |
| Schema validation | JSON Schema | XSD, DTD, RELAX NG |
The lack of native attribute support in JSON means the converter maps all JSON data to XML text content. If your target XML schema requires specific attributes (like id="..." or type="..."), you will need to transform the JSON structure before converting — or edit the XML output afterward.
XML Namespaces and SOAP Envelopes
SOAP web services require XML payloads wrapped in a SOAP Envelope with specific namespace declarations. A typical SOAP request looks like this:
<soapenv:Envelope
xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
xmlns:ord="http://example.com/orders">
<soapenv:Header/>
<soapenv:Body>
<ord:CreateOrder>
<ord:id>1042</ord:id>
<ord:status>shipped</ord:status>
</ord:CreateOrder>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>The converter produces plain XML without SOAP wrappers or namespaces. For SOAP integration, use the converter to get the core data structure right, then wrap the output in the appropriate SOAP Envelope manually or via your HTTP client (SoapUI, Postman, or a custom adapter).
For namespace-aware XML schemas (like OpenAPI/WSDL-derived schemas), you may also need to add xmlns declarations to the root element after conversion. The blog post on converting OpenAPI JSON to XML for SOAP integration covers these patterns in detail.
Limitations and Edge Cases to Know
- !JSON keys with special characters: XML element names cannot start with a number or contain spaces, colons, or most special characters. Keys like "2fa-enabled" or "x-api-key" will be sanitized or cause an error. Rename keys before converting if your JSON uses non-alphanumeric key names.
- !Deeply nested arrays of arrays: Arrays of arrays (multi-dimensional arrays) do not have a standard XML mapping. The converter creates nested elements, but the semantics may not match what your target schema expects.
- !Type information is lost: The integer 42 and the string "42" produce identical XML text content: <field>42</field>. If your XML schema uses typed validation (XSD), add explicit type annotations after conversion.
- !JSON keys starting with @: Some libraries use @-prefixed keys to represent XML attributes (e.g. "@id": "1"). The converter treats these as regular text elements. Post-process if attribute mapping is needed.
- !Large JSON files: The browser-based converter handles most real-world payloads comfortably. Files larger than ~5 MB may cause the browser tab to slow down. For batch conversion of large datasets, use a CLI tool like jq combined with a Python or Node.js script.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert JSON to XML without coding?
Paste your JSON into the converter above and click Convert. No code required. The output appears instantly and can be downloaded as a .xml file.
Can I convert XML back to JSON?
This tool converts JSON to XML only. For XML to JSON conversion, you can use a dedicated XML-to-JSON converter or write a short script in Python (xml.etree.ElementTree + json) or Node.js (xml2js library).
What root element name does the converter use?
The converter wraps the output in a <root> element by default. If your target schema requires a specific root element name (like <orders> or <soapenv:Body>), rename it in the output.
Does the converter handle Unicode characters?
Yes. The output is UTF-8 encoded and preserves Unicode characters. The XML declaration includes encoding="UTF-8" so downstream parsers handle multi-byte characters correctly.
Is JSON valid XML after conversion?
Yes — the converter produces well-formed XML that passes XML parser validation. Whether it matches your specific XML schema (XSD or DTD) depends on the schema requirements.
Is the JSON to XML converter free?
Yes — completely free with no usage limits and no account required. All conversion runs in your browser.