XML - RSS and Atom Feeds

What RSS and Atom Feeds Are

  • Both RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom are XML-based formats used to distribute web content such as news, blog posts, podcasts, or other frequently updated information.

  • They allow users or applications to subscribe to content and automatically receive updates without visiting the website manually.

  • Each feed is essentially an XML document that lists items (articles, posts, media) along with metadata like titles, publication dates, authors, and links.

Why XML Is Used

  • XML provides a standardized, structured, and platform-independent way to represent content.

  • Parsers in web browsers, news readers, or apps can easily read and interpret XML feeds.

  • The hierarchical structure of XML naturally supports nested elements for metadata, content, and links.

RSS Feeds

  • RSS is older and widely supported.

  • Common RSS elements:

    • <channel> – The main container for feed metadata (title, description, link).

    • <item> – Represents an individual entry (e.g., a news article).

    • <title>, <link>, <description> – Basic metadata for each item.

  • Example (simplified RSS feed):

<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>XML Blog</title>
    <link>http://example.com</link>
    <description>Latest updates on XML</description>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding XML DOM</title>
      <link>http://example.com/xml-dom</link>
      <description>A complete guide to XML DOM parsing.</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Atom Feeds

  • Atom is a newer standard designed to address some limitations of RSS.

  • Provides more detailed metadata, better date formats, and consistent namespaces.

  • Common Atom elements:

    • <feed> – Root element containing feed metadata.

    • <entry> – Individual post/item.

    • <title>, <link>, <id>, <updated> – Metadata for each entry.

  • Example (simplified Atom feed):

<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title>XML Blog</title>
  <link href="http://example.com"/>
  <updated>2025-10-08T12:00:00Z</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>Understanding XML DOM</title>
    <link href="http://example.com/xml-dom"/>
    <id>urn:uuid:1234-5678</id>
    <updated>2025-10-08T12:00:00Z</updated>
    <summary>A complete guide to XML DOM parsing.</summary>
  </entry>
</feed>

Key Features of Feeds

  1. Syndication – Websites can publish content once and users automatically receive updates.

  2. Machine-readable – Applications can parse XML and integrate content dynamically.

  3. Metadata support – Each entry can include author, timestamp, categories, and unique IDs.

  4. Interoperability – Works across different platforms, devices, and programming languages.

In Short

  • RSS and Atom feeds are XML-based content syndication formats that let websites distribute information in a structured, machine-readable way.

  • RSS is simpler and widely supported; Atom is more robust, offering standardized metadata and improved flexibility.

  • Both rely on XML’s hierarchical structure to organize content, making them easy to parse, consume, and display in feed readers, apps, or services.