Feed

What is a feed?

On the World Wide Web, a feed/web feed is a data format used to provide users with frequently updated content.

This could, for example, be a news feed, which is often created as an RSS feed, but it can also be a product feed for advertising on platforms such as Facebook and Google Shopping. This type of feed is called a product feed and contains various information about products on a given webshop. In other words, a feed is a stream of content displayed in sections with the same appearance, repeated one after another. These can be read by computers, which can take the information within and use it for various purposes.

A web feed can today be delivered in different formats, the most common of which are XML and JSON. Both formats are used to deliver updated content to users, but they have different advantages and limitations that make them more or less suitable depending on the use case.

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is an older and well-known format, particularly used for RSS feeds and product feeds for platforms such as Google Shopping. It is a structured and flexible format, but it has certain drawbacks that make it less efficient in modern web development:

• Size: XML is heavier and requires greater bandwidth, which can lead to slower data transfer.
• ‍Parsing: Extracting data from XML requires more resources and is more complex compared to JSON.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a newer format that has gained popularity in recent years, especially for API integrations and web applications:

• Lighter and faster: JSON files are generally smaller and easier to parse, making them faster to handle, especially in JavaScript-based applications.‍
• Integration: JSON is ideal for modern web development and is widely used in APIs, as it integrates easily with JavaScript and modern frameworks such as React and Node.js.

Example of a feed excerpt in XML

1. <rss version="2.0">>
2. <channel>
3. <title>FeedForAll Sample Feed</title>
4. <description>RSS is a fascinating technology. The uses for RSS are expanding daily. Take a closer look at how various industries are using the benefits of RSS in their businesses.</description>
5. <link>http://www.feedforall.com/industry-solutions.htm</link>
6. <category domain="www.dmoz.com">>Computers/Software/Internet/Site Management/Content Management</category>
7. <copyright>Copyright 2004 NotePage, Inc.</copyright>
8. <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
9. <language>en-us</language>
10. <lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:39:14 -0400</lastBuildDate>
11. <managingEditor>marketing@feedforall.com</managingEditor>
12. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:38:55 -0400</pubDate>
13. <webMaster>webmaster@feedforall.com</webMaster>
14. <generator>FeedForAll Beta1 (0.0.1.8)</generator>
15. <image>
16. <url>http://www.feedforall.com/ffalogo48x48.gif</url>
17. <title>FeedForAll Sample Feed</title>
18. <link>http://www.feedforall.com/industry-solutions.htm</link>
19. <description>FeedForAll Sample Feed</description>
20. <width>48</width>
21. <height>48</height>
22. </image>
23. <item>
24. <title>RSS Solutions for Restaurants</title>
25. <description><b>FeedForAll </b>helps Restaurant's communicate with customers. Let your customers know the latest specials or events.<br> <br> RSS feed uses include:<br> <i><font color="#FF0000">>Daily Specials <br> Entertainment <br> Calendar of Events </i></font></description>
26. <link>http://www.feedforall.com/restaurant.htm</link>
27. <category domain="www.dmoz.com">>Computers/Software/Internet/Site Management/Content Management</category>
28. <comments>http://www.feedforall.com/forum</comments>
29. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2004 11:09:11 -0400</pubDate>
30. </item>
31. <item>
32. <title>RSS Solutions for Politicians</title>
33. <description>FeedForAll helps Politicians communicate with the general public about positions on various issues, and keep the community notified of their schedule. <br> <br> Uses Include:<br> <i><font color="#FF0000">>Blogs<br> Speaking Engagements <br> Statements<br> </i></font></description>
34. <link>http://www.feedforall.com/politics.htm</link>
35. <category domain="www.dmoz.com">>Computers/Software/Internet/Site Management/Content Management</category>
36. <comments>http://www.feedforall.com/forum</comments>
37. <pubDate>Tue, 19 Oct 2004 11:09:03 -0400</pubDate>
38. </item>
39. </channel>
40. </rss>

Example of a feed excerpt in JSON

{
"version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
"title": "FeedForAll Sample Feed",
"home_page_url": "http://www.feedforall.com/industry-solutions.htm",
"feed_url": "http://www.feedforall.com/feed.json",
"description": "RSS is a fascinating technology. The uses for RSS are expanding daily. Take a closer look at how various industries are using the benefits of RSS in their businesses.",
"items": [
{
"id": "http://www.feedforall.com/restaurant.htm",
"url": "http://www.feedforall.com/restaurant.htm",
"title": "RSS Solutions for Restaurants",
"content_html": "<b>FeedForAll</b> helps Restaurant's communicate with customers. Let your customers know the latest specials or events.<br> RSS feed uses include:<br> <i>Daily Specials <br> Entertainment <br> Calendar of Events </i>",
"date_published": "2004-10-19T11:09:11-0400"
},
{
"id": "http://www.feedforall.com/politics.htm",
"url": "http://www.feedforall.com/politics.htm",
"title": "RSS Solutions for Politicians",
"content_html": "FeedForAll helps Politicians communicate with the general public about positions on various issues, and keep the community notified of their schedule.",
"date_published": "2004-10-19T11:09:03-0400"
}
]
}

Would you like to use feeds to streamline your data?

Whether it's product feeds for Google Shopping or news feeds for your users, we can help you set up effective feeds so you get the most out of your data. Fill in the form below, or call us on 30 12 42 72 for a no-obligation chat!