TinyXML2

TinyXML2 is a small, efficient, lightweight C++ library for parsing and writing XML files. It was originally developed by Lee Thomason as a more modern, faster successor to the earlier TinyXML library. The library implements a Document Object Model (DOM) style API, allowing developers to load an entire XML document into memory, navigate its elements, and manipulate nodes as needed.

The core design focuses on speed and low memory overhead. TinyXML2 uses a compact representation for XML nodes, storing text data in a contiguous buffer to reduce fragmentation. It provides a straightforward interface: an XMLDocument object represents the entire file, while XMLElement, XMLAttribute, and XMLText classes model individual parts of the tree. The API supports reading, modifying, and saving back to disk, with optional pretty‑printing.

TinyXML2 handles a wide range of XML features such as comments, CDATA sections, and processing instructions, but deliberately omits full DTD and XML Schema support to keep the library lightweight. It parses all character data as UTF‑8, which is the modern standard for XML documents. Error handling is provided through return codes and an error description string.

The project is distributed under the permissive zlib license, encouraging use in both open‑source and proprietary applications. Its header‑only, header‑plus‑source distribution makes it easy to include in projects. TinyXML2 is commonly used in game engines, embedded systems, and configuration file parsing where a lightweight XML solution is preferred.