Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

xmllint VS XMLStarlet

Compare xmllint VS XMLStarlet and see what are their differences

xmllint logo xmllint

command line XML tool

XMLStarlet logo XMLStarlet

XMLStarlet Command Line XML Toolkit
  • xmllint Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-16
  • XMLStarlet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-09-22

xmllint features and specs

  • Validation
    xmllint can be used to validate XML documents against a DTD, which helps ensure the XML structure adheres to a predefined specification.
  • XPath Support
    It offers the ability to evaluate XPath expressions, which allows users to query specific parts of the XML document efficiently.
  • Format and Beautify
    xmllint can reformat XML documents to make them more readable, which is especially helpful for debugging and reviewing code.
  • Wide Compatibility
    As part of the libxml2 project, xmllint is compatible with various systems and supports a wide range of XML standards, making it versatile for different environments.
  • Command-line Usage
    Being a command-line tool, xmllint can be easily scripted and used in automated processes or integrated into development pipelines.

Possible disadvantages of xmllint

  • Complexity for Large Documents
    Handling very large XML documents can be computationally intensive, and xmllint might struggle with performance or memory usage in such cases.
  • Limited Error Descriptions
    Error messages produced by xmllint may not always be detailed, which can make debugging difficult for users without extensive XML knowledge.
  • No XML Schema Validation
    While xmllint supports DTD validation, it does not offer native support for validating XML Schema, which limits its applicability for XML documents based on XML Schema definitions.
  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with command-line tools may find xmllint challenging to use initially due to its text-based interface and wide range of options.
  • Limited Interactive Use
    Unlike some graphical XML tools, xmllint does not provide an interactive user interface, which may not appeal to users preferring visual tools for working with XML.

XMLStarlet features and specs

  • Lightweight
    XMLStarlet is a lightweight command-line tool that does not require a graphical user interface, making it quick to install and use on various operating systems without consuming significant resources.
  • Versatile
    It supports a wide range of XML operations such as querying, transformation, validation, and editing, making it a multi-purpose tool for handling XML files.
  • Scripting Friendly
    XMLStarlet can be easily integrated into shell scripts, allowing for automation of XML processing tasks, which is beneficial for system administrators and developers.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, it is free to use and can be modified to meet specific needs. Additionally, the source code can be reviewed for security and customized as needed.
  • Cross-platform
    XMLStarlet is available on multiple operating systems such as Linux, MacOS, and Windows, providing a consistent toolset across different platforms.

Possible disadvantages of XMLStarlet

  • Command-line Interface
    The tool operates via the command-line, which can be challenging for users who are not comfortable with non-GUI environments.
  • Learning Curve
    Users may face a learning curve, especially if they are not familiar with XML concepts or command-line syntax, requiring time to become proficient.
  • Limited Documentation
    Although there is documentation available, it may not be as comprehensive or beginner-friendly as some might require, leading to potential difficulties in finding help or examples.
  • Complex Queries
    Complex XML queries and transformations using XMLStarlet can become quite verbose, which may lead to difficulty in maintaining scripts and increasing the possibility of errors.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    For some tasks, users might need to rely on additional external tools or scripts, especially for functionalities that XMLStarlet does not support natively, adding complexity to workflows.

xmllint videos

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XMLStarlet videos

XML query in Bash with XMLStarlet (2 Solutions!!)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to xmllint and XMLStarlet)
Programming Language
50 50%
50% 50
OOP
50 50%
50% 50
Note Taking
47 47%
53% 53
Generic Programming Language

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, XMLStarlet should be more popular than xmllint. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

xmllint mentions (2)

  • Generate RSS feeds with grep(1), sed(1), and Awk(1)
    I strongly recommend adding a schema validator to anything that generates XML. ATOM¹ has a nice schema available² that you can use at the end to check the whole thing (I use xmllint³, since it is in a lot of package repositories). Another nice thing about ATOM compared to RSS is that it has the xml:base attribute, which means you do not need to rewrite relative URLs into absolute ones. You can use recode's⁴... - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • looking for html beautifier
    There is also pup. Or if you want to go with a lot more options with xmllint. Of if you want just to render the html in your terminal. Source: about 4 years ago

XMLStarlet mentions (5)

  • Upload images to imgur via `cmd.exe` with the help of `curl` and `XMLStarlet`, via a single one-liner doskey macro.
    XMLStarlet Windows binary avaiability: http://xmlstar.sourceforge.net/ cURL Windows binary avaiability: https://curl.se/windows/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Xq – command-line XML and HTML beautifier and content extractor
    Shoutout to my go-to: https://github.com/EricChiang/pup#readme (also golang) and my 2nd favorite https://xmlstar.sourceforge.net/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Fetch data from XML
    This sounds like a job for either PowerShell or XMLStarlet. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is it possible for Rundeck to run a script to generate options at job runtime
    Create and run a job that creates another job via shell script. (manipulating or creating an XML/YAML job definition, maybe using xmlstarlet tool or yq). Source: over 3 years ago
  • In Dolphin, how do I add a path to Places via terminal?
    Yes, a customisation script for new KDE (neon) installs. I think I could edit the file using XMLStarlet. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing xmllint and XMLStarlet, you can also consider the following products

Xidel - Xidel is a command line tool to download html/xml pages and extract data from them using CSS 3 selectors, XPath 3 expressions or pattern-matching templates.

GCC C Preprocessor (cpp) - Top (The C Preprocessor)

PP - A generic Preprocessor - P is a text preprocessor designed for Pandoc (and more generally Markdown and reStructuredText).

GNU M4 - GNU M4 is an implementation of the m4 macro preprocessor.

GPP - GPP is a general-purpose preprocessor with customizable syntax, suitable for a wide range of...

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.