--- title: Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog description: A reposted comment from Dr. Tony Przygienda argues in favor of XML for network automation despite its verbosity, contending that properly accounting for... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog | daily.dev og:description: A reposted comment from Dr. Tony Przygienda argues in favor of XML for network automation despite its verbosity, contending that properly accounting for... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/nUlBxyO2y.png og:image:alt: Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog **[ipSpace.net Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A reposted comment from Dr. Tony Przygienda argues in favor of XML for network automation despite its verbosity, contending that properly accounting for semantic data structure is essential for reliable, maintainable automation. The discussion touches on JSON's ambiguous syntax, NETCONF session management pitfalls (e.g., runaway Python scripts spawning 800+ XML NETCONF sessions), and the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in generating XPath expressions and Python code using ncclient. The broader point is that complex networking problems require structured data and skilled engineers, with AI helping only at the margins. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What are the practical advantages of XML over JSON for NETCONF-based network automation? XML enforces semantic structure that JSON's flexible syntax does not, making it easier to reason about data correctness in complex network models. JSON's ambiguity around NULL vs undefined vs 0, and lists vs sets, becomes a serious maintenance burden at scale. XSLT and XPath, while not beginner-friendly, allow precise, verifiable data manipulation that underpins reliable network automation. _Network engineers weighing XML against JSON for automation pipelines share findings like these on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The lost art of XML — mmagueta](https://daily.dev/posts/the-lost-art-of-xml-mmagueta-qcvhz2sua) · Lobsters · 1 upvotes · 1 comments - [Worse is better: JSON versus XML](https://daily.dev/posts/worse-is-better-json-versus-xml-wquafpzkq) · ploeh blog · 63 upvotes · 15 comments - [XML is a cheap DSL](https://daily.dev/posts/xml-is-a-cheap-dsl-nzs8ti7hg) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Why JSON Schema matters more than ever in the age of generative AI](https://daily.dev/posts/why-json-schema-matters-more-than-ever-in-the-age-of-generative-ai-xskn2gm03) · The New Stack · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y"},"datePublished":"2026-08-11T08:52:16.107Z","dateModified":"2026-08-11T09:07:06.667Z","description":"A reposted comment from Dr. Tony Przygienda argues in favor of XML for network automation despite its verbosity, contending that properly accounting for...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--CxzD6vbw--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2005","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--CxzD6vbw--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2005","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"ipSpace.net Blog","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ipSpace.net Blog","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--xS7E82MT--/f_auto,q_auto/v1786438303/logos/ipspace?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"python,networking","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ipSpace.net Blog","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/ipspace"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Repost: On the Advantages of XML « ipSpace.net blog"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/repost-on-the-advantages-of-xml-ipspace-net-blog-nulbxyo2y#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What are the practical advantages of XML over JSON for NETCONF-based network automation?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"XML enforces semantic structure that JSON's flexible syntax does not, making it easier to reason about data correctness in complex network models. 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