What XSD features are supported?

Common structural rules: element/attribute presence, types, occurrence (minOccurs/maxOccurs), simple type restrictions (pattern, enumeration, length). Complex schema compositions (substitutionGroup, xs:any) work but have edge cases.

Does it support multiple schema files?

`xs:include` and `xs:import` work when all files are pasted into the tool. Full catalog-based loading is beyond browser-side scope — use xmllint locally for that.

What does a validation error look like?

Each violation shows the XPath of the offending element, the expected type or constraint, and the actual value. Click to jump to the location in your XML.

Can I validate XML against JSON Schema?

No — JSON Schema applies to JSON. Convert XML to JSON first (XML Parser) if you want to reuse an existing JSON Schema.

XML Schema (XSD) Validator

DevTools Surf

Example: XML Schema (XSD) Validator

A worked example, rendered from real sample data. Sign in to run the tool on your own input.

Input

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<catalog>
  <book id="1">
    <title>Developer Tools</title>
    <author>John Doe</author>
  </book>
  <book id="2">
    <title>Web Development</title>
</catalog>

Output

Document   6 elements, 2 attributes, depth 3
Schema     none supplied — checking well-formedness only

Errors (3):
  ✗ 9:1       /catalog
      Mismatched closing tag </catalog> — <book> opened at line 7 is still open
  ✗ 2:1       /catalog
      <catalog> is never closed
  ✗ 7:3       /catalog/book[2]
      <book> is never closed

About XML Schema (XSD) Validator

XML Schema (XSD) Validator preview - XML tool

Validate XML against basic XSD schema rules. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the XML collection.

Use Cases

Enterprise developers validating SOAP web service messages
Healthcare engineers verifying HL7/FHIR XML document compliance
Financial systems developers checking FpML transaction formats
Government contractors validating NIEM-conformant XML exchanges

Tips

Validate element nesting against complexType definitions
Check that required attributes are present on each element
Test with a minimal XML document first to isolate schema errors

Fun Facts

XML Schema Definition (XSD) became a W3C Recommendation in May 2001 — it replaced DTDs as the primary way to define XML document structure and data types.
XSD 1.0 is one of the longest W3C specifications ever published, spanning three parts and over 400 pages — its complexity led to alternatives like RELAX NG by James Clark.
Despite JSON's dominance in APIs, XML Schema remains critical in industries like healthcare (HL7 FHIR), finance (FpML), and government (NIEM) where strict typing is required.

FAQ

What XSD features are supported?: Common structural rules: element/attribute presence, types, occurrence (minOccurs/maxOccurs), simple type restrictions (pattern, enumeration, length). Complex schema compositions (substitutionGroup, xs:any) work but have edge cases.
Does it support multiple schema files?: `xs:include` and `xs:import` work when all files are pasted into the tool. Full catalog-based loading is beyond browser-side scope — use xmllint locally for that.
What does a validation error look like?: Each violation shows the XPath of the offending element, the expected type or constraint, and the actual value. Click to jump to the location in your XML.
Can I validate XML against JSON Schema?: No — JSON Schema applies to JSON. Convert XML to JSON first (XML Parser) if you want to reuse an existing JSON Schema.

Related XML Tools

XML Formatter XML Minify XML Viewer XML Pretty Print XML Validator XML Editor XML Parser WSDL Formatter