RSS/Atom Feed XML to JSON Conversion

RSS and Atom are XML-based syndication formats used for blogs, news sites, and podcasts. Converting them to JSON is common when building feed readers, aggregators, or displaying feed content in modern web apps.

An RSS 2.0 feed:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>DevToolbox Blog</title>
    <link>https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog</link>
    <description>Developer tools and tips</description>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding JSON Schema</title>
      <link>https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog/json-schema</link>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description><![CDATA[
        <p>JSON Schema is a powerful tool for validating...</p>
      ]]></description>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>XML vs JSON: When to Use Each</title>
      <link>https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog/xml-vs-json</link>
      <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:30:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <description>A practical comparison of XML and JSON formats.</description>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

Converted to JSON:

{
  "title": "DevToolbox Blog",
  "link": "https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog",
  "description": "Developer tools and tips",
  "items": [
    {
      "title": "Understanding JSON Schema",
      "link": "https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog/json-schema",
      "pubDate": "Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:00:00 GMT",
      "description": "<p>JSON Schema is a powerful tool for validating...</p>"
    },
    {
      "title": "XML vs JSON: When to Use Each",
      "link": "https://www.dev-toolbox.tech/blog/xml-vs-json",
      "pubDate": "Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:30:00 GMT",
      "description": "A practical comparison of XML and JSON formats."
    }
  ]
}

Key conversion considerations:

1. CDATA descriptions become plain strings. The CDATA wrapper is stripped, and the HTML content is preserved as a JSON string value.
2. Repeated <item> elements become a JSON array. This is the standard treatment for repeated sibling elements.
3. Date formats. RSS uses RFC 822 dates (Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:00:00 GMT). Consider normalizing to ISO 8601 for JSON output.
4. Channel metadata is flattened. The <channel> wrapper is often stripped, promoting its children to the top level.

RSS vs. Atom vs. JSON Feed:

Format	Base	Typical use
RSS 2.0	XML	Blogs, podcasts
Atom 1.0	XML	More structured, IETF standard
JSON Feed	JSON	Modern alternative, native JSON

The JSON Feed specification provides a standard JSON structure for feeds, making it an ideal target format when converting RSS/Atom to JSON.