Convert XML to JSON in Python

XML can represent attributes, mixed text, namespaces, repeated elements, and ordering in ways JSON cannot represent directly. Pick a library and a stable mapping convention, then test it with real documents.

Quick Start#

The following example uses the standard Python API or a widely used package for this task.

Using xmltodict#

1# pip install xmltodict2import json3import xmltodict45value = xmltodict.parse(xml_text)6json_text = json.dumps(value, indent=, ensure_ascii=False)7print(json_text)

Common Operations#

This second pattern covers a common production operation or a safer way to handle real input.

Custom attribute/text keys#

1value = xmltodict.parse(2    xml_text,3    attr_prefix="@",4    cdata_key="#text",5)

Important Notes#

For untrusted XML, use hardened parser guidance appropriate to your environment and disable features such as external entity resolution where applicable.

Best Practices#

1. Treat external input as untrusted and handle parse/validation errors explicitly.
2. Keep encoding, units, formats, and library-specific mapping rules explicit at system boundaries.
3. Add test vectors that cover empty input, Unicode text, malformed input, and representative production data.

References#

• W3C XML
• RFC 8259: JSON
• Python Documentation