HTML vs XML: What’s the Difference?
How well do you believe a computer or machine can comprehend English? How simple is it to decode a string of 0s and 1s? Have you ever wondered if there is a universal language that both humans and machines can comprehend? For this reason, we have markup languages.
Unlike other programming languages, markup languages are both human and machine friendly. They are easy to understand since they comprise conventional terms in a syntactical style. While numerous markup languages exist, HTML and XML are the most widely used.
What exactly is HTML?
HyperText Markup Language is the abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language. Tim Berners created it to make electronic or online pages. Each page is linked to the next using hyperlinks. HTML is used to create everything you see on the internet. HTML allows images and text to be embedded in web pages. HTML has had several versions, the most recent of which is HTML5. It serves as the foundation for web development projects, providing structure and a basic design. Tags and attributes are the building blocks of HTML. Tags are enclosed in angle brackets (>), and characteristics are enclosed in quotations.
The attribute text-align aligns the text according to the requirements, and p represents a paragraph tag. The tag indicates the element’s end with a slash(/).
HTML does not care about the case. There are no errors if the codes are written syntactically, and the machine understands them quickly. All text editors can access the written files because they have a ‘.html’ extension.
HTML’s Features
It is a simple and easy-to-understand language. Everyone can comprehend the codes, and they can be changed.
- HTML may be used to create web pages since it has many tags.
- It allows you to create web pages with your content.
- It has linkages to other pages, allowing for easy surfing.
- It doesn’t matter what operating system you’re using, and it works the same on Windows, Mac, Linux, and other platforms.
- It allows you to add graphics, videos, and audio to your pages, making them more appealing.
- It’s simple to combine with scripting and styling languages like Javascript and CSS, giving it a dynamic feel.
HTML’s Advantages
- It’s a frequently used Markup language that’s very simple to pick up.
- It is free to use and does not require any special software.
- Codes can be written in text editors like notepad. Therefore no other software is required.
- Developers can use the Canvas element (canvas>) to add a lot of visuals.
- The application cache capability allows large files to be stored.
HTML’s disadvantages
- Pages may require a large amount of code, which might be difficult to manage.
- A page’s authenticity cannot be determined only by HTML, which necessitates CSS and JavaScript. If HTML is the only technology employed, the pages will be static.
- It’s not easy to make dynamic pages. Static pages are created using HTML.
What exactly is XML?
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is an acronym for “Extensible Markup Language.” Unlike HTML, XML is meant to store information rather than show it, and it is commonly utilised for data transport. Because this is a markup language, both humans and robots can understand it. XML is device agnostic. We can leverage elements in XML and create our markup language. Users can add their tags in XML, making them self-descriptive. W3C began in 1996, with XML 1.1 being the most recent version. XML tags, like HTML tags, are enclosed in angle brackets(>).
To wrap information around the tags, XML is utilised. The personal information of John Wick is covered under the Data tag in the example above. Name, email, and contact information are wrapped up in Name, Email, and Contact tags. This allows data to be transferred from one media to another.
The case is important in XML. All text editors can read, write, and modify the codes saved with the ‘.xml’ extension.
XML’s Features
- By storing data in plain text format, XML makes data storage easier. This is simpler to retrieve than database storage formats.
- In the case of incompatible programmes with other data formats, XML files make data transit easier.
- Because XML is compatible with reading machines, data can be accessed by people who are blind or have other disabilities.
- Extensibility is a feature of XML. It allows users to generate self-descriptive tags in any language to meet the application’s needs.
XML’s Advantages
- Data storage and transport are simple.
- Unicode and multilingual text are supported.
- It’s simple to learn and code.
- It improves data accessibility.
- Platform switching is a breeze.
- It is incredibly easy to share data because it keeps it in plain text and is not dependent on software or hardware.
XML’s disadvantages
- There is no intrinsic data type that can be used.
- The syntax is unnecessary.
Conclusion
HTML and XML are both markup languages for dealing with data. It’s worth noting that both of these are derived from the Standard Generalized Markup Language or SGML and reply to queries in a browser either directly or through AJAX. HTML is used to show data, but XML stores and transports data from one system to another. Even though they are both markup languages, they work differently. HTML and XML are vital to learning because they are the structural and integral parts of any website or application.
