RSS / Atom Feed Validator

Validate an RSS 2.0 or Atom feed against the spec. Reports missing required fields (title, link, description for RSS; id/title/updated for Atom), malformed dates, broken links, and common rendering issues.

How to use the RSS / Atom Feed Validator

Paste the feed XML. The validator parses the document, identifies whether it's RSS 2.0 or Atom, and checks each item/entry for required fields and common mistakes.

Validating RSS and Atom feeds

Feed readers are unforgiving: a missing required element, a malformed date, or a stray unescaped character can stop an RSS or Atom feed from parsing, and the reader usually just shows nothing rather than an error. Because feeds are generated by templates, one bug breaks every item at once.

This validator parses your feed, detects whether it's RSS 2.0 or Atom, and checks each item or entry for the fields the spec requires — title, link, and description for RSS; id, title, and updated for Atom — plus common date and escaping mistakes. If your feed is meant for podcasts or syndication, fixing these is what gets it accepted by aggregators.

Common use cases

  • Feed debugging — find why a reader won't load your feed.
  • Required fields — confirm every item has its mandatory elements.
  • Date formats — catch timestamps that break parsing.
  • Podcast feeds — validate before submitting to directories.
  • Template QA — verify a generated feed after a code change.

Frequently asked questions

Which feed formats does it check?
RSS 2.0 and Atom. It auto-detects the type and applies that spec's required-field rules.

What problems does it catch?
Missing required elements, malformed dates, broken links, and common escaping or structural mistakes that stop feeds parsing.

Does the feed get uploaded?
No. The XML is parsed in your browser, so nothing leaves your device.

Why does my feed work in one reader but not another?
Readers vary in strictness. A feed that's technically invalid may render in a lenient reader and fail in a strict one — fixing the reported issues makes it reliable everywhere.
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