XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language. It is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. XML was designed to be both human-readable and machine-readable, and it defines a set of rules for encoding documents. The design goals of XML emphasize simplicity, generality, and usability across the Internet. XML is a software- and hardware-independent tool for storing and transporting data.
Here are some key features of XML:
- XML is a textual data format with strong support via Unicode for different human languages.
- XML is widely used for the representation of arbitrary data structures such as those used in web services.
- XML is a markup language much like HTML, but without predefined tags to use.
- XML was designed to store and transport data.
- XML was designed to be self-descriptive.
XML is used for serialization, i.e. storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. For two disparate systems to exchange information, they need to agree upon a file format, and XML standardizes this process. XML has come into common use for the interchange of data over the Internet. Hundreds of document formats using XML syntax have been developed, including RSS, Atom, Office Open XML, OpenDocument, SVG, COLLADA, and XHTML. XML also provides the base language for communication protocols such as SOAP and XMPP.
XML is not a programming language and cannot perform computing operations by itself. Instead, any programming language or software can be implemented for structured data management. XML is just information wrapped in tags, and someone must write a piece of software to send, receive, store, or display it.
XML is similar to HTML, but there are some differences between the two. HTML was designed to display data with a focus on how data looks, while XML was designed to carry data with a focus on what data is. HTML has a limited number of tags available, while XML does not have this limitation, as there is no preset library of XML tags.
In summary, XML is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It is widely used for the interchange of data over the Internet and provides a standardized process for two disparate systems to exchange information. XML is not a programming language and cannot perform computing operations by itself. Instead, any programming language or software can be implemented for structured data management.
