| Purpose |
Designed to store, transport, and structure data |
Designed to display data and format web pages |
| Custom Tags |
Allows user-defined/custom tags |
Uses predefined tags (like <p>, <div>, <h1>) |
| Tag Rules |
Strict: Tags must be properly nested and closed |
Flexible: Some tags can be left unclosed (e.g., <br>) |
| Case Sensitivity |
Case-sensitive (e.g., <Name> ≠ <name>) |
Not case-sensitive (e.g., <Title> = <title>) |
| Data Handling |
Focuses on data transport and structure |
Focuses on data presentation and layout |
| Whitespace Handling |
Preserves whitespace |
Ignores extra whitespace in most cases |
| Validation |
Can be validated with DTD or XSD |
Validation is less strict and often not required |
| Self-closing Tags |
Uses self-closing tags like <tag /> |
HTML5 allows both self-closing and non-self-closing |
| Syntax Errors |
Will not work if there are syntax errors |
Browsers often forgive minor errors |
| Used With |
Often used with APIs, configuration files, and databases |
Used for web browsers and webpage rendering |
