What is XML?
The “Extensible Markup Language” (XML) is more than a format; it is a means by which programmers can delineate distinct tags that structure and move information across systems, be it text, audio, visual metadata, or something else. By parsing information separating content and presentation, XML enables many technologies and the applications of the second generation web and APIs to interface human users and machines coherently. It supplies syndication formats like RSS, messaging protocols such as SOAP, and document standards like SVG. Its core XML features of being extensible and agnostic of the employing platform make it fundamental in the construction of interoperable web services, enterprise environment configuration files, and data exchange.
Examples of XML include defining an RSS feed for delivering blog updates, encoding SOAP envelopes for web-service requests and responses, creating SVG files for scalable vector graphics, specifying build configurations in the Apache Ant tools, and many more.
Related terms: RSS, SOAP, HTML, and JSON