🆚 JSON vs XML

Both JSON and XML are used for storing and transferring structured data, but they're built differently and serve slightly different purposes.

📦 What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, easy-to-read data format based on JavaScript syntax.

{
  "name": "Alex",
  "age": 25,
  "skills": ["C#", "Python", "JSON"]
}

📜 What is XML?

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) uses custom tags to store data and describe its structure. It’s more verbose than JSON.

<person>
  <name>Alex</name>
  <age>25</age>
  <skills>
    <skill>C#</skill>
    <skill>Python</skill>
    <skill>JSON</skill>
  </skills>
</person>

📊 Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature JSON XML
Readability Clean, lightweight Verbose, tag-heavy
Data Format Key-value pairs Tagged elements
Data Types String, Number, Boolean, Array, Object String (all data is text)
Parsing Speed Faster Slower
Schema Support Optional (JSON Schema) Yes (XSD, DTD)
Use Cases APIs, web apps, configs Legacy systems, SOAP APIs
💡 Fun Fact: Most modern REST APIs prefer JSON because it’s lighter and easier to handle in JavaScript environments.