SAXlike

SAXlike refers to a family of parsing interfaces that emulate the Simple API for XML (SAX) in that they use a streaming, event-driven model. In a SAX-like parser, the input is processed sequentially and the parser notifies a user-supplied handler of parsing events such as the start and end of elements, character data, comments, and processing instructions. The parser typically has no maintained in-memory representation of the entire document; instead, the application consumes events and builds its own structures if needed.

Key characteristics include forward-only access and low memory usage, suitability for large XML documents or real-time streams. Because the parser does not provide a complete document tree, applications must respond to events and sometimes manage state across nested elements. This event-driven approach is often implemented via callbacks or listener interfaces, with the application assembling data as events arrive.

Advantages include a small memory footprint and the ability to begin processing before the entire document is loaded. Trade-offs include a more complex programming model, no random access to nodes, and potential for more error-prone code, since the application must manage depth, ordering, and partial data accumulation.

Compared to DOM, which builds an in-memory tree for random access, SAX-like parsers provide streaming, incremental processing. Some ecosystems distinguish SAX-like from pull-parsing interfaces such as StAX; while both are streaming, SAX uses callbacks (push model) whereas StAX lets the application pull events from the parser. In practice, 'SAX-like' may refer to any event-driven API inspired by SAX, not limited to XML, and may be implemented in various languages with analogous event callbacks.

Use cases include processing large XML files, streaming input, or integrating with systems that emit XML in real time. Many language ecosystems provide SAX-like libraries or adapters, often under names similar to SAX or Expat-based interfaces.