Difference Between HTML and XML

By Mohit Uniyal|Updated : February 20th, 2023

Difference Between HTML and XML: Before reading about the difference between HTML and XML, let us learn about these languages. Both XML and HTML are used to design web pages and web applications. The full form of the term HTML is Hypertext Markup Language, while the full form of the term XML is Extensible Markup Language. The main purpose of HTML language is to display the given data and focus on data representation. The XML language structures, stores, and transfers the given information and XML also tells about the data.

XML is a case-sensitive language due to this, the upper and lower case needs to be remembered while coding. Here, we will first briefly investigate the HTML and XML, then see the complete list and explore the difference between HTML and XML. Let us check the differences based on several parameters.

Table of Content

What is the Difference Between HTML and XML?

XML is a framework for specifying markup languages, it is fundamentally different from HTML (stores and transfers data). HTML, however, is a predefined markup language (describes the structure of a webpage). Let us check the difference between HTML and XML languages. The major differences between these two languages are explained in the table provided below. 

HTML vs XML

HTML

XML

The term HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.

The term XML stands for extensible Markup Language.

This Language is static language.

This Language is a dynamic language.

This Language is a markup language.

This Language provides a framework to define markup languages.

HTML can ignore small errors.

XML does not allow errors.

This Language is not Case sensitive.

This Language is Case sensitive.

HTML tags are predefined tags and there is a limited number of tags.

XML tags are user-defined tags, and these tags are extensible.

HTML does not maintain white spaces.

White space can be maintained in XML.

HTML tags are used for displaying the data.

XML tags are used for describing the data not for displaying it.

In this language, closing tags are not necessary.

In this language, closing tags are necessary.

It displays the data.

It is used to store data from the database.

XML and HTML

Extensive Markup Language (XML) is a markup language used to store, carry, and transfer data to different platforms. It is used in web applications, mobile applications, and databases - a text language wrapped in some tags to store data. HTML is the short form of Hypertext markup language. It is a language used to create web pages and web applications. It is a basic building block in the world of web development.

The tags are also not predefined, and hence you can create your own tag, which is easily read by both humans and machines. Amongst its notable features, one is to simplify the data transferring process. It is a challenging task to transfer data in incompatible formats, and XML is stored in a plain readable format which facilitates the sharing process. Html is an easy-to-learn and simple language. It has a set of predefined tags for specific functions that need to be used properly; otherwise, the result will be different from expected. HTML instructs the browser where to use paragraphs, what should be included in the body, how many rows should be there in the table, what background color is good for the text, etc.

What is XML?

XML (Xtensible Markup Language) is used to create web pages and applications. XML is a dynamic language because it is used to transport the data, not for displaying it. The XML simply focused on simplicity, generality, and usability all over the Internet. This language is a textual data format that has strong support through Unicode for different human languages. XML also focuses on documents, this language is widely used for the representation of arbitrary data structures like XML is used in web services. XML is also case-sensitive.

XML is also self-explanatory that is, the data describes both content and design. It also helps in upgrading and updating the operating systems without the loss of data.

Being a language in itself, it is also used to create new languages. Some of them are:

  • WSDL
  • WAP, WML
  • XHTML
  • RSS
  • RDF, OWL
  • SMIL

The basic unit in the XML is generally known as an element, and the Extension of the XML file is written as “.xml”. XML tags are written between angular brackets(< >).

Example,

<Data>

<Name>Mohit</Name>

<email>Mohit123@gmail.com</email>

<Contact>+1232763589</Contact>

</Data>

Output:

Name-Mohit

email-Mohit123@gmail.com

Contact-+1232763589

What is HTML?

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language which is used to make and design web pages and web applications. HTML is a markup language. With HTML we can create and design our own static page. This language is only used for displaying the data, not for the transportation of data. HTML is the fusion of Hypertext and Markup language it also defines the link among the web pages. This markup language is used for defining the text document within the tag which gives the structure of web pages. The tags are the words between the <angle brackets> and separate standard text from HTML code. The output is displayed on web pages in the form of tables, images, diagrams, etc.

Tim Berners Lee is known as the inventor of HTML. He released the first HTML document which was called HTML Tags in late 1991. Html is best suited for static websites because of its limited functioning. For dynamic websites, other coding languages like javascript are used.

Unlike XML, it is focused on the design and appearance of the web page and not on carrying the data. Graphics, videos, sound, table, background colour are some of the functions that are performed with HTML.

Example-

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<title>Page Title</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1> First Heading</h1>

<p> First Paragraph.</p>

</body>

</html>

Output:

First Heading

First Paragraph.

Further, let us see some other related articles.

Key Differences between XML and HTML

XML is used to store and transfer data while HTML is responsible for the designing or formatting of the data. Both are an integral part of the world of web development. Check out some key differences in various factors such as nature, definition, tags, etc. in the table shown below.

Basis

XML

HTML

Full form

Extensive Markup Language.

Hypertext Markup Language.

Definition

XML is a markup language to carry, store, and transfer data.

HTML is a language for formatting and structuring data.

Nature

XML is dynamic in nature as it is used for transferring data.

HTML is static in nature.

Primary focus

The primary focus is to change data between platforms by carrying data.

The primary focus is to structure the data by taking care of the design and appearance.

Case sensitivity

It is Case sensitive. Uppercase and lowercase are considered.

It is Case insensitive.

Tags

No predefined tags. The developer can create his own tag.

Set of predefined tags which need to be followed for the desired outcome.

Closing tag

It is important to close the tag that is opened otherwise the transferring of data will be corrupted.

It is not mandatory to use a closing tag.

Language

It is not a presentation language as it is related to content.

It is a presentation language because of the design feature.

Scope of Error

There is no scope for error. The data that needs to be transferred should be correct.

Small errors can be ignored and desired outcomes can be achieved.

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FAQs on Difference Between HTML and XML

  • The basic difference between XML and HTML is that HTML displays data and represent the structure of a webpage, while the XML stores and transfers the given data. XML is a standard language that defines other computer languages, whereas the HTML is a predefined language that has its own implications.

  • The XML is better than the HTML because XML is Case sensitive language while HTML is Case insensitive language. The XML gives namespaces support whereas HTML doesn't gives namespaces support. eXtensible Markup Language is strict for closing tag while HyperText Markup Language is not strict. XML tags are extensible while HTML has limited tags.

  • No. the XML cannot replace the HTML instead of this it provides an alternative way which allows us to define own set of mark-up elements. HTML is expected to remain in common use occasionally, and for HTML a Document Type Definition is available whereas in XML syntax as well as in original SGML.

  • The advantages of HTML over XML is that by using the HTML appearance and presentation can be modified that creates it more interactive. The XML is the language that focusses on the exchange of information only.

  • HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the mark-up language that is used for building web pages whereas the HTML5 is the fifth version of HyperText Markup Language. In the HTML5, many of the older elements of HTML were modified and better functionality elements were added. For the storing the temporary data, cookies are used.

  • Extensive Markup Language(XML) is not a programming language as it does not perform computation and algorithms like other programming languages.

  • HTML is a language of web pages used for the formatting and layout purposes of the text document.

  • Hypertext is the highlighted text which helps you browse other web pages by simply clicking the text.

  • The key difference between XML and HTML is that HTML is used for the structure and display of data on the user screen while XML is used for storing and transferring data.

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