How do I control the XML's root element name?

Use the "Root element" field above the input. It defaults to "root" but you can set it to whatever your consuming system expects, since JSON has no equivalent concept of a single named root the way XML requires.

How are JSON arrays represented in XML?

Each item in an array is emitted as a sibling element repeating the same tag name, so ["admin","editor"] under a roles key becomes admin editor at that nesting level, not a single wrapping element.

What happens to JSON keys that aren't valid XML tag names?

Keys with spaces, leading digits, or other characters XML tag names disallow fall back to a generic "item" tag rather than producing invalid markup. Keep JSON keys as valid identifiers if you need the original key names to survive as tag names.

Does this add an XML declaration?

Yes, every output starts with on its own line, matching what most XML consumers and validators expect at the top of a document.

What happens if my JSON is invalid?

The converter reports the exact line and column where JSON parsing failed, the same way a JSON formatter would, so you can fix the source before worrying about the XML shape at all.

JSON to XML Converter - Convert JSON to XML Online

Overview

Introduction

Plenty of systems still expect XML at the boundary, an old SOAP endpoint, a config format a legacy tool insists on, a feed spec that predates JSON's dominance, even when the data you're starting from is JSON. This converter handles that boundary crossing without a server round trip.

It's aimed at exactly that situation: you have a JSON object or array in hand and need a well-formed XML document out the other side, with a root element name you control.

What Is JSON to XML Converter?

A JSON-to-XML converter walks a parsed JSON value recursively and builds an XML element tree from it: object keys become child element tag names, array items repeat a tag per entry, and primitive values become an element's text content.

Because JSON documents don't have a single named root the way XML requires, you supply that name yourself, it wraps the entire converted structure.

How JSON to XML Converter Works

Your input is parsed with the standard JSON.parse, so any JSON parse error is caught and located before conversion begins.

The parsed value is then walked recursively: objects become nested elements from their keys, arrays repeat the current tag name once per item, and strings/numbers/booleans become the element's inline text content, with XML's five special characters (& < > " ') escaped along the way.

When To Use JSON to XML Converter

Use it when a downstream API, config loader, or legacy system requires XML input but the data you have (or generate) is JSON.

It's also useful for quickly previewing what a JSON payload would look like in XML form, before writing a permanent mapping in code.

Often used alongside JSON to XML Converter, XML to JSON Converter and YAML to XML Converter.

Features

Advantages

Runs entirely client-side, so JSON containing real data never leaves your browser.
Lets you set the root element name directly, instead of hardcoding one for you.
Reports the exact line and column of a JSON syntax error rather than failing silently.
Escapes XML's special characters automatically, so the output is safe to consume as-is.

Limitations

JSON keys that aren't valid XML tag names (spaces, leading digits, etc.) fall back to a generic item tag.
Arrays become repeated sibling elements rather than a wrapping list element, match your downstream schema's expectations before assuming this shape is correct.
Doesn't attach XML namespaces, DTDs, or schema references; the output is plain, well-formed XML only.

Examples

A simple object with a custom root

Input

{"id": 1, "name": "Ada"}

Output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<user>
  <id>1</id>
  <name>Ada</name>
</user>

With the root element set to "user", each JSON key becomes a child element under it.

An array becomes repeated sibling tags

Input

{"roles": ["admin", "editor"]}

Output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <roles>admin</roles>
  <roles>editor</roles>
</root>

Each array item repeats the roles tag rather than nesting inside a single wrapping element.

Invalid JSON is reported, not guessed at

Invalid input

{"id": 1, "name": "Ada"

Parser error

Unexpected end of JSON input

A missing closing brace stops parsing before any XML is produced.

Corrected version

{"id": 1, "name": "Ada"}

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Set the root element name to match what your consuming system expects before relying on the default.
Keep JSON keys as valid XML identifiers (letters, digits, underscore, hyphen, no leading digit) if you need them preserved as tag names.
Run this before hand-writing a JSON-to-XML mapping in code, to see the default shape first.

Developer Notes

This tool calls the same `jsonToXml` function (`json/lib/json-to-xml.ts`) used by the JSON category's own JSON to XML converter and by the YAML category's YAML to XML converter (which pipes YAML through JSON first), so root-name handling, tag-name sanitization, and escaping behavior are identical across all three entry points.

JSON to XML Converter Use Cases

Feeding a JSON payload into a legacy system or API that only accepts XML
Previewing an XML shape before writing a permanent JSON-to-XML mapping in code
Generating XML test fixtures from JSON data you already have
Converting a JSON config into an XML format an older tool requires

Common Mistakes

Leaving the root element as the default when a downstream schema requires a specific tag name.
Expecting arrays to nest inside a wrapping element; they instead repeat the parent tag per item.
Using JSON keys with spaces or special characters and expecting them to survive as XML tag names.

Tips

Use the reported line and column to jump straight to a JSON syntax error.
Pair with the XML Prettifier if you need a different indent width than this converter's default.
Try the XML to JSON converter afterward to confirm the round trip preserves the structure you expect.

JSON to XML Converter