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Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language used to structure and transport data in a format that is both human- and machine-readable. Unlike HTML, which uses a predefined set of tags to display content, XML allows users to create their own custom tags that describe the meaning and structure of the data itself.

Core characteristics

Self-describing: The tags themselves describe the data, making it easy to understand even without a separate description. For example, a tag book is more descriptive than a generic tag like b.

Extensible: Users can define and create an unlimited set of tags to meet their specific needs. This flexibility is a core distinction from HTML, which has a fixed set of tags.

Plain text format: XML stores data in a plain text file format, which makes it platform-independent. This allows for the easy transfer and sharing of data between different applications, databases, and operating systems.

Hierarchical structure: An XML document has a tree-like structure, with a single "root" element that contains all other elements. This organized hierarchy clearly shows the relationships between different pieces of data.

Strict syntax: XML is strict about its syntax. An opening tag must always have a corresponding closing tag, and elements must be properly nested. This strictness ensures that a program (or "parser") can accurately read and process the data.