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Basics for Beginners · JSON vs XML vs CSV

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JSON vs XML vs CSV

JSON is often compared to XML and CSV. XML uses tags and is verbose; JSON is more compact. CSV is flat and great for spreadsheets but poor for nested data. JSON sits in the middle: readable, hierarchical, and widely supported in every programming language.

// XML (verbose)
<user>
  <name>Alice</name>
  <age>30</age>
</user>

// JSON (compact)
{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}

// CSV (flat only)
name,age
Alice,30
  • JSON: compact, hierarchical, universal support
  • XML: verbose, schema-rich, legacy systems
  • CSV: flat, spreadsheet-friendly, no nesting