URL-Decode

CSV to XML JSON

Load Sample Data
Result

The best and most free online CSV to XML & JSON converter converts CSV data into XML and JSON formats. Please copy and paste the CSV data or upload the CSV file to convert it into an XML or JSON file format.

CSV vs XML vs JSON

Several data representation tools have been built until today to deliver the best data transfer and use less network bandwidth in that process.

Whether you are creating a single-page website or an extensive website, you will eventually need to connect with the server and choose a suitable data format for responses.

Three formats usually transfer data from the server to the client: CSV, XML, and JSON.

Before developing any web architecture, it is better to understand these three, the difference between them, and when to use them.

CSV

CSV stands for comma-separated values file. As the name implies, it is a delimited text file in which commas separate a list of elements. In the CSV file, each line contains the data record, and the data contains the fields separated by commas. So, in simple words, CSV is a comma-separated value file that stores the tabular data in plain text format.

The CSV file has the .csv extension and is compatible with most spreadsheet programs, such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

CSV occupies less space, almost half of the room, than XML and JSON, resulting in less bandwidth consumption. Therefore, the CSV format is the most compact of all three formats.

It converts tabular data into plain text format and is used in various ways. Most companies export their high-volume data into more robust databases, such as customer or order data, to and from their database.

The CSV file format separates the elements with commas. However, that situation becomes difficult to handle when the fields also contain commas or embedded line breaks. Here, they use quotation marks to cover that field. However, the situation becomes even worse when some fields may need embedded quotation marks. Thus, the implementation of the CSV requires CSV Escape/Unescape.

Another problem with that file format is that it does not support the hierarchical structure and is less versatile than XML and JSON. It would be best to have a homemade parser to convert the CSV data into a native data structure. Moreover, the program that creates the CSV format and the machine that parsers the CSV resides in separate locations. Both programs must be updated if the data structure changes simultaneously to prevent the receiving program from malfunctioning.

XML

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is a text-based markup language derived from Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). XML was designed in 1996 and became a W3C standard in 1998.

It is considered a traditional medium to store and transfer data on the internet. It provides the data in an understandable format for both humans and machines.

In XML, the tags are not predefined. You can use custom tags to store and transfer the data. Unlike HTML, where the tags are predefined, that language is used to display the data. XML works in the opposite way. It is not used to display the data; it is used to store, structure, and transfer the web data.

One benefit of XML is that it supports the hierarchical data structure and is very appropriate when receiving the data response. As it is traditionally used as a medium to store and transfer data, most browsers have built-in XML readers that allow you to inspect XML files. Most APIs have built-in functions to convert XML data streams into native data structures.

However, one drawback is that it occupies more space—almost three times as large as a CSV file. This results in a lot of network bandwidth consumption while transferring a small amount of data.

JSON

Although XML is traditionally used as the medium to store and transfer data, and most browsers have built-in XML readers that allow you to inspect XML files, due to bulky tags, attributes, namespaces, schemas, etc., it consumes more network bandwidth while transferring a small amount of data. Therefore, people are still looking for an alternative. And that alternative is JSON.

JSON stands for "JavaScript Object Notation." It was invented in 2001 and popularized by Yahoo and Google in 2005 and 2006. The text is written in JS object notation to sort and transmit data and convert it into a human-readable format.

It supports the hierarchical data structure and uses commas, curly braces, and brackets to represent the data.

JSON uses the JS language standards only and does not require JS codes for reading or writing. Therefore, it is an independent language. Most APIs and web services use the JSON format to provide public data.

When we transfer the data between the browser and the server, the data should be in the text. And JSON is text. You can easily convert the JS object into JSON by using the JSON.stringify () function and send it to the server, and the result you received in JSON form can easily be converted to a JS object using the JSON.parse() function.

However, to confirm whether your JSON structure meets the standards provided by JavaScript-oriented notation or not, you must validate your JSON code. It's always better to minify or beautify JSON code according to your requirements.

Even though that data format has less support than XML, things are rapidly changing because newer APIs and plugins support XML and JSON.

How can the best & free online CSV to XML and JSON converter be used?

As discussed earlier, XML is traditionally used to store and transfer data, and JSON is currently the most popular way to store and share data on the web. Most of the APIs support XML and JSON data formats. Therefore, CSV to XML or JSON conversion becomes essential.

To do this, follow the steps.

  • Open the best & free online CSV to XML and JSON converter.
  • You can copy-paste the CSV data, use the "Load from the URL" option, or use the "Browse" option to upload the CSV file.
  • After uploading the CSV data, click the "Convert to XML" button to convert the CSV file format into the XML file format.
  • On the other hand, click on the "Convert to JSON" button to convert the CSV file format into the JSON file format.
  • You can get the CSV data in XML or JSON form in the "Result" section per your action above.
  • Please copy the code and paste it into the desired location.

Do we keep a copy of your source code?

Protecting user trust is our top priority. We do not keep a copy of the source the user inputs into CSV for XML and JSON conversion.

Other tools related to CSV, XML, and JSON conversions are