HTML

In depth

Programming language

Also known as: HyperText Markup Language

The markup language that defines the structure of web pages: headings, paragraphs, links, images and forms.

HTML, explained

Written by EduVerse

HTML is the markup language that gives a web page its structure. You wrap content in tags like h1, p, a, img and input, so the browser knows what is a heading, a paragraph, a link, an image or a form field. CSS then handles the looks and JavaScript the behavior.

Why teams use it

Every page a browser shows starts as HTML, so there is no alternative to choose; the question is how well you write it. Using the right elements, such as a real button instead of a clickable div, makes pages work better with screen readers, keyboards and search engines without extra work.

An example from work

You build a product list in React, then open the Elements panel in DevTools. Whatever framework you used, the browser ends up with plain HTML elements, and a Lighthouse accessibility check flags the img tag you forgot to give an alt attribute.

Our own explanation, not a quote from the book.

In the book

Sentences from The Software Realm, Decoded that mention HTML, exactly as printed.

Senior developer
“Your HTML file is static text on disk.”
Chapter 4 · 4.4.1 The DOM: Your Live Document · pp. 95–96Open in the free preview

5 more passages about HTML in the full book

Read every conversation where HTML comes up, with the interactive slides and demos.

See the book

Where it fits

Structure and content of every web page

Coverage in the book