While developing a thick client i.e. a client-server application or a thin client i.e. web application you may need to choose between different types of data format. While XML is one of the most popular choices in most of the modern thin and thick clients across the globe, it is not the only option. There are other choices such as CSV and JSON, which is proving to be one of the great alternatives to XML. Together with XML, the CSV and JSON are the three major standard format of data exchange between the server and thick or thin clients.

CSV, which stands for “Comma Separated Values”, is a comma separated file in which each piece of data is separated by a comma. It is a plain text file and is viewable in any text view application such as Notepad. This is the most compact format, as it does not include any text other than the data. However, it does not support data hierarchies.

The other commonly found alternative to XML is JSON, invented in 2001 and stands for JavaScript Object Notation. Unlike CSV, it represents hierarchical data. It uses commas, curly braces and brackets. Moreover, it also offers size advantages unlike XML.