Performance: XDocument versus XmlDocument
I have read a comparison between the two here. This is primarily a question of performance, relating to both memory and speed.
I've got several XML documents that are upwards of 100 - 300 K in size. I've noticed that there is some lag when loading this information into an XDocument rather than an XmlDocument object.
- Is there a serious performance difference between these two objects?
- Do they access the content of the XML differently?
- When working with a string of XML, which is preferred, or is there a difference?
The end use of these object is to run queries (XPath or LINQ, depending) on the object in question.
Answer
XmlDocument is a purely managed implemenation of the Document Object Model. There is no interop with any COM components, such as the MSXML library. Any claim otherwise is completely bogus. The entire XLinq set of APIs came about as a friendlier way to interact with XML with introduction of LINQ in the .NET Framework.
If you're trying to maximize performance and are comfortable using XPath, try using the XmlDocument and using compiled XPath expressions.