Java XML - Overview

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What is XML?

XML is a simple text-based language which was designed to store and transport data in plain text format. It stands for Extensible Markup Language. Following are some of the salient features of XML.

  • XML is a markup language.

  • XML is a tag based language like HTML.

  • XML tags are not predefined like HTML.

  • You can define your own tags which is why it is called extensible language.

  • XML tags are designed to be self-descriptive.

  • XML is W3C Recommendation for data storage and data transfer.

Example

<?xml version = "1.0"?>
<Class>
   <Name>First</Name>
   <Sections>
      <Section>
         <Name>A</Name>
         <Students>
            <Student>Rohan</Student>
            <Student>Mohan</Student>
            <Student>Sohan</Student>
            <Student>Lalit</Student>
            <Student>Vinay</Student>
         </Students>
      </Section>
      
      <Section>
         <Name>B</Name>
         <Students>
            <Student>Robert</Student>
            <Student>Julie</Student>
            <Student>Kalie</Student>
            <Student>Michael</Student>
         </Students>
      </Section>
   </Sections>
</Class>

Advantages

Following are the advantages that XML provides −

  • Technology agnostic − Being plain text, XML is technology independent. It can be used by any technology for data storage and data transfer purpose.

  • Human readable − XML uses simple text format. It is human readable and understandable.

  • Extensible − In XML, custom tags can be created and used very easily.

  • Allow Validation − Using XSD, DTD and XML structures can be validated easily.

Disadvantages

Following are the disadvantages of using XML −

  • Redundant Syntax − Normally XML files contain a lot of repetitive terms.

  • Verbose − Being a verbose language, XML file size increases the transmission and storage costs.

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