A technique for converting XML code to a binary format involves identifying code elements that appear in the XML code and storing them in an element palette. The XML code is then encoded by selecting predefined commands that represent the XML text-based instructions and associating the predefined commands with references to corresponding code elements in the element palette. The commands and associated references form fixed-length tokens that can be further compressed. During conversion, data is extracted and stored in an uncompressed format. The conversion produces a binary output that contains the element palette, the data, and the tokens (compressed or uncompressed). When the binary form of the XML code is loaded for execution, the tokens are decoded into instructions that operate on the elements referenced in the element palette.