In this digital world, data is important for every organization, whether you’re creating a webpage or transferring information between different systems, the way in which the data is represented and stored matters. That’s where you need to learn about the key differences between HTML and XML. In this blog, you will learn what HTML and XML are, the features of HTML and XML, pros and cons of using HTML or XML, and the key differences between them.
Table of Contents:
What is HTML?
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is a markup language used to create the structure of the webpage. It tells the web browser how to display text, images, links, and other content on the screen.
Example: Basic Structure of an HTML Document
Explanation: This is the basic structure of the HTML file, typically used when working with HTML5. Here is the list of the basic HTML elements used in the example:
- <!DOCTYPE>: This Doctype HTML declaration is important to tell the browser that this is an HTML5 document.
- <html>: The root tag, which contains other tags inside it.
- <head>: It contains the meta information for the browser, enclosed in <meta> tags.
- <body>: It contains all the elements that are displayed in the browser window.
Features of HTML
HTML is the foundational language used for building webpages. It offers several features. Here are some of the important features of HTML:
- It is platform-independent, which means HTML code can run on any operating system, like Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- HTML code is supported by all modern browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
- It is easy to learn and use because of its simple syntax and easy-to-remember tags.
- HTML uses predefined tags (like <h1>, <p>, <img>, etc.) to define various elements on the webpage.
- HTML is maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and it is open and free for everyone to use.
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Pros of Using HTML
HTML is used widely for creating web pages. Here are some of the main advantages of using HTML in web development:
- Its clean structure makes it easy to understand for beginners who have just started learning web development.
- It is free and open standard, which means you don’t need to buy any software to write and run HTML code. You only need to install a text editor, like VSCode.
- It easily combines with other technologies like CSS and JavaScript.
Cons of Using HTML
While HTML is an excellent tool for creating web pages, it has some limitations. Here are some of the disadvantages of using HTML:
- HTML is a static language, which means the content of the webpage doesn’t change until it is changed by a developer.
- It has limited design capabilities, which means that without CSS, you can only add basic designs to your webpage.
- HTML doesn’t provide any built-in security features.
What is XML?
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is the language used to store and transfer the content. XML mainly focuses on what the data means and how it is organized.
Example: Basic XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<book>
<title>XML Mastery</title>
<author>Intellipaat</author>
<genre>Knowledge</genre>
<price currency="USD">10</price>
<published>2025</published>
</book>
Explanation: Here, the <book> is the root element that wraps the entire data. <title>, <author>, <genre>, <price>, <published> are the child elements, and the currency=”USD” is called an attribute that provides extra information about elements.
Features of XML
XML is used widely for transferring and storing data. Here are some important features of XML:
- XML has a self-descriptive structure, which means that it self-describes the type of data it contains.
- It is called “Extensible” because it allows developers and users to create their own self-descriptive tags. In simple words, it allows you to build custom tags, like <name>, <hello>, etc.
- XML is a case-sensitive language, which means that it is strict about capitalization. If your opening tag is<name>, then the closing tag also contains the letters of the same case </name>.
- It is a cross-platform language. XML files work well across different systems.
- XML supports the Unicode Character Scheme.
Pros of Using XML
XML offers various benefits to users, like data storage and sharing. Here are some main advantages of using XML:
- XML is a cross-platform language. It works the same on every operating system, like Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- It allows you to create your own self-descriptive tags.
- It supports the Data Validation. You can validate your XML code by using tools like XML Schema and DTD.
Cons of Using XML
Here are some of the disadvantages of using XML for sharing and storing data:
- XML is difficult to learn as compared to HTML.
- XML requires opening and closing tags for every element, which makes the files large and repetitive.
- XML is very strict. If you miss any tag, follow the wrong order, or do incorrect nesting, then your whole code will break.
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Difference Between HTML and XML
XML and HTML are markup languages that use tags for different purposes. Here are some of the important differences between HTML and XML:
| Points |
HTML |
XML |
| Full Form |
Hypertext Markup Language |
Extensible Markup Language. |
| Purpose |
HTML is used to create the structure of the webpage. |
XML is used to store and transfer data between applications and systems. |
| Focus |
It focuses on how content looks. |
XML focuses on the structure and meaning of data. |
| Tag Structure |
HTML uses pre-defined tags like <p>, <h1>, and <img> tags. |
XML allows users to create their own tags like <user>, <rollno>. |
| Case Sensitivity |
HTML is not case-sensitive. |
XML is case-sensitive, which means the starting and closing tags are of the same case. |
| Closing Tags |
Not all the tags need a closing tag. Tags like <br>, <img> don’t need a closing tag. |
All tags must be properly opened and closed. |
| Error Handling |
HTML offers flexibility, it can work perfectly for small errors. |
XML is strict, which means that if you miss any tag, then it prevents the document from being processed. |
| Use Case |
HTML is mainly used to create and structure webpages. |
It is mainly used for storing and transferring data across different platforms. |
| Output |
HTML content is shown in the browser. |
XML content is not displayed on the browser. |
Conclusion
HTML and XML may look similar because both are markup languages and use tags for different purposes, like HTML uses tags to define and structure the content on the webpage. XML is used to store and transport data between different systems. HTML is mostly used by front-end developers for building user interfaces, and XML is more useful for backend developers in handling data and API. Understanding the difference between HTML and XML is important in web development.
XML vs HTML – FAQs
Q1. What is the full form of XML?
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is the markup language used to store and transfer data between different systems.
Q2. What is the difference between HTML and XHTML?
XHTML is a stricter version of HTML that follows XML syntax rules. Unlike HTML, it requires a closing tag for each and every tag.
Q3. What is HTML?
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is the language used for creating the structures of a web page.
Q4. What is XML used for?
XML is the markup language used to structure, store, and transfer data across multiple systems.
Q5. Who created XML?
XML was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in the late 1990s.