DRX

Web Developer Resource Index: RSS

RSS can be a little confusing, since it is really a family of different XML languages, each have their own definition of the acronym (or initialism), and within those families there are several versions:

• RDF Site Summary (RSS 0.9 and 1.0)
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.x)
• Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.9x)

RSS is used to deliver content syndication, or feeds, in XML metadata format. A so-called “channel” is a list of items, typically Web-published articles, and each feed item is a summary of the resource with a URI (hyperlink) to the full article. By skimming the list, a user can locate an item of interest, and then select it to take him or her to the full article. News sites and Web logs (blogs) are the most popular source of these feeds.

Typical metadata encoded in one of these formats includes:

• a title for the article
• a URI (link) to the resource
• the author (or creator)
• a description of the contents
• the publication date and time
• a classification of the content

As the name implies, Really Simple Syndication is the easiest format for the content developer to started get with. If you look at the left sidebar you should notice a button that links to my RSS 2.0 feed. Here is an example from one entry in this very category:

Note: that I have truncated the example for the sake of brevity.

drx includes RSS feeds for every category, located at the bottom of each page. You can also track Recent Additons to the directory with your favorite RSS reader.

If all of this is too much for you, and you need a basic introduction to RSS, try visiting the What is RSS? page.

Updated: Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 3:00 AM EST [44]

Data Formats:Metadata:RSS {0}(44)

Navigation

Resources

• 1.RSS at Harvard Law

  RSS is a dialect of XML. All RSS files must conform to the XML 1.0 specification, as published on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) website. [32]

  ★★★★★
  URI:http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
  Author:
  Dave Winer
  [5]
  Reviewed:Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 @ 7:53 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS at Harvard Law rssw3cxml
   

• 2.Taking RSS Beyond Headlines

  In part one of this article (part two promises to get into even more obscure ideas), Rich lists some really cool techniques for getting the most out of RSS feeds. Highlights include tracking topical news, packages, TV listings, weather, and sports teams. [1646]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://basement.org/archives/2006/01/taking_rss_beyond_headlines_pa.h...
  Author:
  Rich Ziade
  [1]
  Reviewed:Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 3:00 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Taking RSS Beyond Headlines feednewsrss
   

• 3.SoloSub

  Provides Web publishers with a single URL that allows their RSS subscribers to select from any number of popular feed readers/aggregators. SoloSub can also "remember" the user's preference, so the next time they jump directly to the subscription process. [1621]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://solosub.com/
  Author:
  Pete Freitag
  [2]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, January 31st, 2006 @ 11:09 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  SoloSub aggregatorfeedrss
   

• 4.BlogBridge

  An open-source, Java-based, multi-platform (Windows, OS X, and Linux) desktop RSS and Atom feed reader. Expert guides assist you in finding feeds in areas that interest you, keyword (tag) highlighting allows you to focus on posts that interest you most. [1559]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://blogbridge.com/
  Author:
  Pito Salas
  [1]
  Reviewed:Thursday, November 24th, 2005 @ 1:00 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  BlogBridge aggregatoratomblogjavalinuxopen sourceosxrsssoftware
   

• 5.W3C Feed Validation Service

  Is based on the open-source Feed Validator hosted by SourceForge, and now available as part of the W3C Validation Services. Also included is a SOAP 1.2 Web Service API interface, with a Perl library available on CPAN. Supports both RSS and Atom feeds. [1556]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://validator.w3.org/feed/
  Author:
  Karl Dubost
  [2]
  Reviewed:Monday, November 21st, 2005 @ 3:33 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  W3C Feed Validation Service atomfeedperlpythonrsssoapvalidatorw3cwebservicesxml
   

• 6.RSS History

  A short timeline on the history of RSS and Atom feed syndication formats, starting with Guha's non-XML Meta Content Framework (MCF) and ending just shy of Atom 1.0. A nice non-partisan viewpoint with plenty of links. Plus, with a name like goatee.net... [1514]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://goatee.net/2003/rss-history.html
  Author:
  Joseph Reagle
  [1]
  Reviewed:Friday, August 26th, 2005 @ 10:22 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS History atomfeedhistoryrsstimeline
   

• 7.About Feeds (XML, RSS and Atom)

  Another resource for people who aren't familiar with RSS and content syndication technology, designed to help them discover what feeds can do. Yes, I'm collecting them now, but only high quality (as usual) tutorials that are written for novice users. [1505]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://www.sixapart.com/about/feeds
  Author:
  Six Apart
  [1]
  Reviewed:Saturday, August 20th, 2005 @ 11:27 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  About Feeds (XML, RSS and Atom) atomfeedrsstutorialxml
   

• 8.All About RSS

  A really outstanding and detailed tutorial for beginning RSS end-users. Covers the major RSS formats including Atom, finding the feeds for a Web site, aggregators, OPML, subscribing, a nice glossary of terms, and a large list of external resource links. [1496]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://faganfinder.com/search/rss.shtml
  Author:
  Michael Fagan
  [1]
  Reviewed:Thursday, August 18th, 2005 @ 11:10 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  All About RSS aggregatoratomopmlrsstutorial
   

• 9.What is RSS?

  My own introduction and tutorial for beginning RSS and Atom feed users. Covers the major feed formats, news readers and aggregators, auto-discovery, and accessing feeds from you browser using Firefox, Safari and Opera. Additional resources are provided. [1483]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://loadaveragezero.com/info/what-is-RSS.php
  Author:
  Douglas Clifton
  [2]
  Reviewed:Friday, August 12th, 2005 @ 9:34 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  What is RSS? aggregatorbrowserfeednewsrsstutorialxml
   

• 10.Atomic RSS

  If you're a developer like I am, generate your own RSS feeds and are looking to offer them in Atom format, then Tim's article is a good place to start. I use RSS 2.0, so duplicating them as Atom 1.0 is almost painless (which is exactly the topic here). [1451]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2005/07/27/Atomic-RSS
  Author:
  Tim Bray
  [3]
  Reviewed:Sunday, July 31st, 2005 @ 9:24 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Atomic RSS atomdeveloperfeedprogrammingrss
   

• 11.What is RSS?

  I have my own "What is RSS?", only it was written as an introduction in layman's terms for end-users. Mark's article is also an introduction, only the target audience are developers and programmers. Covers some history, a bit of XML, and common formats. [1449]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html
  Author:
  Mark Pilgrim
  [6]
  Reviewed:Saturday, July 30th, 2005 @ 8:56 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  What is RSS? historyrssxml
   

• 12.Things you can do with RSS

  A Wiki from Tim Yang to help convince you there's more to RSS than just checking blog posts and BBC news headlines. How about collecting emails as RSS? Or news on your mobile, check the weather, or stock quotes... Have a new idea? It's a Wiki, so add it! [1436]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://timyang.com/wiki/doku.php?id=lists:thingsyoucandowithrss
  Author:
  Tim Yang
  [1]
  Reviewed:Wednesday, July 27th, 2005 @ 10:42 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Things you can do with RSS howtorsswiki
   

• 13.RSS Specifications

  A comprehensive RSS reference site detailing "everything you need to know about RSS." That might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I must admit there is a ton of information here, including history, XML, creating and submitting feeds, validation... [1422]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://rss-specifications.com/
  Author:
  NotePage
  [1]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, July 19th, 2005 @ 2:10 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS Specifications feedhistoryreferencerssspecsyndicatevalidatorxml
   

• 14.RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 Compared

  In this Intertwingly Atom Wiki document, Tim (et al.) does a thorough comparison and contrast of the two feed syndication formats. These are two of the most popular formats on the Web, so if you're exploring your options as a developer, it's a good stop. [1417]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://intertwingly.net/wiki/pie/Rss20AndAtom10Compared
  Author:
  Tim Bray
  [3]
  Reviewed:Sunday, July 17th, 2005 @ 8:38 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 Compared atomdeveloperfeedrsssyndicate
   

• 15.RSSOwl

  Set for a brand new release in a few days, RSSOwl is a multi-platform open-source RSS news reader and aggregator. Supports all standard RSS and Atom formats, imports/exports OPML files/blogrolls. Choose from several layouts. Also exports to PDF and HTML. [1401]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://rssowl.org/
  Author:
  Benjamin Pasero
  [1]
  Reviewed:Thursday, July 14th, 2005 @ 6:21 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSSOwl aggregatoratomblogfeedopen sourceopmlrdfrss
   

• 16.Chordata

  An online directory and aggregator of high quality RSS and Atom feeds in over 150 categories. Feeds are reviewed by the staff, and rated by users. Also provides a Javascript interface for adding selected feeds to your site for additional content. [1338]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://chordata.info/
  Author:
  Antone Roundy
  [1]
  Reviewed:Sunday, June 26th, 2005 @ 1:09 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Chordata aggregatoratomdirectoryfeedrss
   

• 17.RSS Readers

  Editorial and user reviews of RSS readers and aggregators. Easily download and test them from one location. Many are free or shareware packages. [1327]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://www.download.com/RSS-Readers/3150-9227_4-0.html?tag=nav_dir
  Author:
  CNET Networks
  [3]
  Reviewed:Thursday, June 23rd, 2005 @ 12:17 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS Readers aggregatorfeedreviewsrsssoftware
   

• 18.Feedmarker

  Is like del.icio.us for RSS and Atom feeds. Supports keyword tagging, imports OPML/blogrolls and features many editing functions. Simple and intuitive user interface. View your own feeds, or everyone's. Includes tag searching. Nicely done. [1317]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://feedmarker.com/
  Author:
  Bruno Bornsztein
  [1]
  Reviewed:Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005 @ 11:40 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Feedmarker atomblogdel.icio.usfeedopmlrsstagging
   

• 19.tagCloud

  Automatically create a tag cloud from your existing feeds. They now support importing OPML files, which drx exports of course, so I jumped at the chance to test the system. Tags are extracted via the Content Analysis REST Web service from Yahoo! [1308]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://tagcloud.com/
  Author:
  IonZoft
  [1]
  Reviewed:Sunday, June 19th, 2005 @ 9:21 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  tagCloud feedfolksonomyopmlrestrsstaggingwebservicesyahoo
   

• 20.Improving an XML feed display through CSS and XSLT

  A well done article on formatting RSS when directly requested via a browser rather than a feed reader. As the title implies, the author is using XSLT to transform the XML source into HTML, and styles it with CSS. Source code and examples provided. [1302]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://xefteri.com/articles/show.cfm?id=24
  Author:
  Evagoras Charalambous
  [1]
  Reviewed:Saturday, June 18th, 2005 @ 6:48 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Improving an XML feed display through CSS and XSLT cssfeedhtmlrssxmlxslt
   

• 21.Howto RSS Feed State

  Although HTTP is considered a stateless protocol, there are tools at your disposal to help your RSS feeds consume fewer server resources. In my experience to date, many of the aggregators/readers have work to do yet. Still worth the effort though. [1301]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://www.kbcafe.com/rss/rssfeedstate.html
  Author:
  Randy Morin
  [1]
  Reviewed:Saturday, June 18th, 2005 @ 4:27 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Howto RSS Feed State feedhowtohttpperformancerss
   

• 22.RSS 101

  A 5-part introduction to RSS. Covers the XML background in simple terms needed to understand RSS, the RSS 2.0 syndication format, setting up an RSS aggregator and subscribing to a feed, and some examples of how RSS can be put to good use. [1291]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://samspublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=388271&seqNum=1
  Author:
  Bob Reselman
  [1]
  Reviewed:Monday, June 13th, 2005 @ 2:09 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS 101 aggregatorfeedrss
   

• 23.lastRSS

  A lightweight PHP parser class library for RSS feeds. Unlike Magpie, this one uses a regular expressions instead of an XML parser. Supports RSS 0.9x, 1.0 and 2.0. Includes transparent, configurable caching support, multiple data formats and iconv. [1286]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://lastrss.webdot.cz/
  Author:
  Vojtech Semecky
  [1]
  Reviewed:Saturday, June 11th, 2005 @ 4:05 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  lastRSS cachemagpieparsingphpprogrammingregexrssxml
   

• 24.RSScache

  If you have a limited budget, and thus limited bandwidth for your site's RSS feed(s), which can quickly become your #1 most requested resource, you might want to consider trying RSScache. In addition to saving BW, they make it very easy to set-up. [1282]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://rsscache.com/Section/Webmasters/
  Author:
  D2Soft Technologies
  [1]
  Reviewed:Friday, June 10th, 2005 @ 7:13 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSScache cachefeedrss
   

• 25.Universal Feed Parser

  A Python module for downloading and parsing syndicated news feeds. UFP supports RSS 0.9x, 1.0, 2.0 and Atom format feeds. Requires Python 2.1 or later. If you are a Python programmer, check it out. Anything from Mark is a definite thumbs-up. [1272]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://feedparser.org/docs/
  Author:
  Mark Pilgrim
  [6]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, June 7th, 2005 @ 10:26 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Universal Feed Parser atommoduleparsingprogrammingpythonrss
   

• 26.56 RPC and RPC2 Services to Ping

  A huge list of URIs to send feed/blog update pings at, and lots of feedback in the comments. But really folks, for most people, pingomatic.com is sufficient. I just like Elliot's blog and the leaves for hair on his masthead image. [1243]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2004/11/21/a-list-of-rpc-and-rpc2-...
  Author:
  Elliot Back
  [1]
  Reviewed:Friday, May 27th, 2005 @ 5:21 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  56 RPC and RPC2 Services to Ping blogfeedpingrpcrss
   

• 27.News Niche

  An RSS marketing blog/portal for Web publishers. Includes a great list of RSS aggregators, feed directories, FAQs for both subscribers and publishers, and other resources. To keep up to date on the latest news, go figure, subscribe to the RSS feed. [1214]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://newsniche.com/
  Author:
  Allan Burns
  [1]
  Reviewed:Saturday, May 21st, 2005 @ 7:49 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  News Niche directoryfaqfeedrss
   

• 28.What is an RSS feed?

  A nice introduction and then the article launches right into parsing RSS with Magpie, styling with CSS, and storing your feed in a MySQL database. What a great idea! Oh wait, I already did that... From the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. [1179]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://www.ncl.ac.uk/iss/webdev/rss/
  Author:
  Newcastle University ISS
  [1]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, May 17th, 2005 @ 4:54 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  What is an RSS feed? cssmagpiemysqlparsingrss
   

• 29.AtomEnabled

  And just when you thought you had this whole RSS thing nailed, guess what? Here comes yet another syndication format. Sigh. However, this one has some advantages, and it's fairly popular, so you might want to take a look at the feature set. [1145]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://atomenabled.org/
  Author:
  AtomEnabled Alliance
  [1]
  Reviewed:Friday, May 13th, 2005 @ 7:10 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  AtomEnabled atomrssxml
   

• 30.The Myth of RSS Compatibility

  Since there are so many versions of RSS out there, this can cause a great deal of confusion with users new to the technology. Mark does a good job of explaining the situation, and the key differences in this article. [1099]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://diveintomark.org/archives/2004/02/04/incompatible-rss
  Author:
  Mark Pilgrim
  [6]
  Reviewed:Thursday, May 5th, 2005 @ 11:50 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  The Myth of RSS Compatibility rss
   

• 31.Dynamic RSS Feeds using PHP, MySQL and Apache

  Article and tutorial on creating database driven RSS feeds using open-source tools. I use a similar technique for the feeds that form part of this Resource Index. Nice article, if you're thinking of trying it, a good place to start. [1082]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://tiffanybbrown.com/articles/viewarticle.php/66
  Author:
  Tiffany Brown
  [1]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005 @ 6:59 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Dynamic RSS Feeds using PHP, MySQL and Apache apachemysqlopen sourcephprss
   

• 32.Making An RSS Feed

  RSS is a method of distributing links to content in your web site that you'd like others to use. In other words, it's a mechanism to "syndicate" your content. [1077]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/print.php/34721_2175271
  Author:
  Danny Sullivan
  [2]
  Reviewed:Monday, May 2nd, 2005 @ 12:58 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Making An RSS Feed feedrss
   

• 33.MagpieRSS: An RSS Parser for PHP

  An XML-based (expat) RSS parser in PHP. MagpieRSS is compatible with RSS 0.9x through RSS 1.0. Also parses RSS 1.0 modules, RSS 2.0, and Atom. (with a few exceptions). [1058]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://magpierss.sourceforge.net/
  Author:
  Kellan Elliott-McCrea
  [2]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, April 26th, 2005 @ 8:10 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  MagpieRSS: An RSS Parser for PHP atommagpiemoduleparsingphprssxml
   

• 34.RSS-DEV

  Yahoo Group and mailing list for RSS developers. Goals: The modular extension of existing RSS through XML Namespaces and RDF stressing backward compatibility with RSS 0.9 for ease of adoption by existing syndicated content producers. [1057]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rss-dev/
  Author:
  RSS-DEV Working Group
  [2]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, April 26th, 2005 @ 6:54 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS-DEV developerrdfrssxml
   

• 35.Feed Validator

  Validate your blog, news and other feeds. Supports RSS 0.90, 0.91, 0.92, 0.93, 0.94, 1.0, and 2.0. Also supports Atom feeds. [1047]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://feedvalidator.org/
  Author:
  Sam Ruby
  [1]
  Reviewed:Monday, April 25th, 2005 @ 5:19 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Feed Validator atomblogfeedrssvalidator
   

• 36.Feedview

  Feedview is a Mozilla Firefox extension that gives you a nice preview of RSS feeds, including the ability to customize the view with CSS. Without the extension Firefox just displays the XML source code. [1026]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://www.epigoon.com/?p=10
  Author:
  Tom Germeau
  [1]
  Reviewed:Wednesday, April 20th, 2005 @ 3:31 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Feedview cssextensionfeedfirefoxrssxml
   

• 37.Sage: A Feed Reader for Firefox

  A lightweight RSS and Atom feed aggregator extension for Mozilla Firefox. It's got a lot of what you need and not much of what you don't. [1025]

  ★★★★★
  URI:http://sage.mozdev.org/
  Author:
  Peter Andrews
  [1]
  Reviewed:Wednesday, April 20th, 2005 @ 3:28 AM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Sage: A Feed Reader for Firefox aggregatoratomextensionfirefoxrss
   

• 38.XML::RSS

  A Perl module for creating and maintaining RDF Site Summary files. Contains examples that allow you to generate HTML from an RSS, and convert between versions. For site owners that want to include news feeds, or syndicate their own content. [1021]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://perl-rss.sourceforge.net/
  Author:
  Jonathan Eisenzopf
  [2]
  Reviewed:Tuesday, April 19th, 2005 @ 6:52 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  XML::RSS feedhtmlperlrdfrssxml
   

• 39.Making Headlines with RSS

  Created at Netscape as a way of advertising data channels, Rich Site Summary (RSS) has become a vital syndication tool for such sites as Slashdot, The Motley Fool, Wired News, and Linux Today. [38]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://newarchitectmag.com/archives/2000/02/eisenzopf/
  Author:
  Jonathan Eisenzopf
  [2]
  Reviewed:Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 @ 11:39 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  Making Headlines with RSS rdfrss
   

• 40.RSS 1.0 Reference: Core

  We look at how RSS has evolved from its humble beginnings through present day and beyond. We survey all versions of RSS, including a feature comparison, a new RSS usage survey, and format and validation information. [37]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://zvon.org/xxl/RSSreference/Output/index.html
  Author:
  Jiří Jirát
  [2]
  Reviewed:Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 @ 10:31 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS 1.0 Reference: Core formatreferencerss
   

• 41.RSS: Lightweight Web Syndication

  In its brief existence, RSS has undergone only one revision, but that hasn't stopped its adoption as one of the most widely used web site XML applications to date. [36]

  ★★★★☆
  URI:http://xml.com/pub/a/2000/07/17/syndication/rss.html
  Author:
  Rael Dornfest
  [1]
  Reviewed:Sunday, April 3rd, 2005 @ 10:03 PM EST
  by:
  Douglas Clifton
  
  RSS: Lightweight Web Syndication