Free XML sample files
Structured, self-describing documents built from nested elements and attributes. Download valid XML test files in 10 exact sizes, from 1 KB to 10 MB, each with a checksum.
- Extension
- .xml
- MIME type
- application/xml
- Kind
- Text
- Category
- Data
XML files by size
Every file below is a valid Extensible Markup Language file of exactly the stated size. Open a file's page for its checksum and contents, and to preview it in your browser before downloading.
| File | Size | Contents | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 KB XML samplesample-xml-1kb.xml | 1 KB1,024 bytes | Elements: 2 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 5 KB XML samplesample-xml-5kb.xml | 5 KB5,120 bytes | Elements: 15 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 10 KB XML samplesample-xml-10kb.xml | 10 KB10,240 bytes | Elements: 31 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 25 KB XML samplesample-xml-25kb.xml | 25 KB25,600 bytes | Elements: 80 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 50 KB XML samplesample-xml-50kb.xml | 50 KB51,200 bytes | Elements: 160 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 100 KB XML samplesample-xml-100kb.xml | 100 KB102,400 bytes | Elements: 320 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 500 KB XML samplesample-xml-500kb.xml | 500 KB512,000 bytes | Elements: 1,599 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 1 MB XML samplesample-xml-1mb.xml | 1 MB1,048,576 bytes | Elements: 3,267 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 5 MB XML samplesample-xml-5mb.xml | 5 MB5,242,880 bytes | Elements: 16,276 <customer> records | Download XML |
| 10 MB XML samplesample-xml-10mb.xml | 10 MB10,485,760 bytes | Elements: 32,484 <customer> records | Download XML |
More XML samples
Hand-designed files with realistic content or a specific edge case.
| File | Size | Contents | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample product catalogue XML with namespaces and CDATAsample-product-catalog.xml | 1.07 KB1,100 bytes | Features: Attributes, entities, CDATA, comment, processing instruction, empty element | Download XML |
| Sample RSS 2.0 feedsample-rss-feed.xml | 2.39 KB2,451 bytes | Items: 5 | Download XML |
What is an XML file?
XML marks up data with named elements that nest to form a tree, with attributes on elements and text inside them. It underlies many established formats, including RSS, SVG, SOAP, Office documents and countless enterprise integrations.
A document must be well-formed, meaning every element is closed and properly nested, or a parser will reject it outright. It can additionally be validated against a schema.
How to recognise an XML file
| Extension | .xml |
|---|---|
| MIME type | application/xml |
| Also seen as | text/xml |
| Standard | W3C XML 1.0 |
| Encoding | Declared in the document; UTF-8 by default |
| Validation | DTD, XML Schema or RELAX NG |
| Features | Namespaces, entities, CDATA sections, processing instructions |
What to test for
These are the behaviours that most often go wrong when software handles XML files.
- Parsers that resolve external entities can be made to read local files or call internal services, an attack called XXE. Disable DTD processing for untrusted input.
- Nested entity definitions can expand exponentially ("billion laughs"). The samples here declare no entities.
- Namespaces change element identity: <name> in two namespaces is two different elements.
Strengths of XML
- Mature tooling for validation, transformation and querying.
- Handles documents with mixed text and markup, which JSON cannot.
Limitations of XML
- Verbose: the same data is considerably larger than in JSON.
- Features such as entities make parsers a security concern when misconfigured.
Typical uses of XML test files
- Testing XML parsers and data import
- Checking protection against entity attacks
- Testing feed readers and SOAP clients
Software that opens XML
- Every programming language
- Browsers, xmllint and XSLT processors
- Enterprise integration and publishing systems
Specifications
Related
XML sample files: questions
- Do the XML samples use a DTD or entities?
- No. They have an XML declaration and no DOCTYPE, so they are safe for parsers with DTD processing disabled.
- What is the MIME type of an XML file?
- The MIME type is application/xml. You will also meet text/xml in practice. The file extension is .xml.
- Is a sample XML file the same as a dummy or example XML file?
- Yes. Sample, test, dummy and example XML files are different names for the same thing: an XML file with known contents that stands in for a real one. Any file on this page will do wherever a tutorial or a test plan asks for a dummy XML file.