I am looking for general optimization tips and guidelines for xml parsing. One of the optimization strategies is of course selecting the "right" parser. A detailed comparison between the available parsers for ios can be found here http://www.raywenderlich.com/553/how-to-chose-the-best-xml-parser-for-your-iphone-project. However, I am currently trying to investigate general guidelines and tips on how to optimize by payloads to increase the performance as possible. This question is similar to (a question I have posted in the context of ios) but I have not got a sufficient answer. So this question is not in the context of any particular programming language.