title: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
category: page
slug: hypertext-markup-language-html
sortorder: 0416
toc: False
sidebartitle: HTML
meta: Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language interpreted by browsers to display websites and web applications.


Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standard markup language that is 
downloaded from a [web server](/web-servers.html) to a web browser
and is used to display website and web application content.

<img src="/img/logos/html.jpg" alt="HTML5 logo." width="100%" class="technical-diagram">


### HTML resources
* Mozilla's 
  [HTML page](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML)
  and
  [introduction to HTML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/HTML/Introduction_to_HTML)
  break down HTML by elements, metadata and forms before diving
  into more advanced web development topics.

* [A few HTML tips](https://hacks.mozilla.org/2016/08/a-few-html-tips/)
  is written for beginners who are learning HTML. The article gives guidance
  on common mistakes to avoid and what to do instead to write proper HTML.

* CodeAcademy's 
  [HTML basics](https://www.codecademy.com/courses/web-beginner-en-HZA3b/0/1)
  course provides an interactive environment for learning the
  gist of the markup language.

* [A list of everything that *could* go in the head of your document](https://github.com/joshbuchea/HEAD)
  provides a comprehensive reference for elements that are required
  or optional in the `<head>` element of your webpage.

* [(Why) Some HTML is "optional"](https://remysharp.com/2019/09/12/why-some-html-is-optional)
  gives historical context for the `<p>` paragraph element as an example
  to explain how HTML was originally designed. The backwards-compatibility
  remains because there is not enough optimization juice to squeeze from
  changing the implementation compared to the backwards-breaking changes
  in rendering existing sites.

* [A Complete Guide to Links and Buttons](https://css-tricks.com/a-complete-guide-to-links-and-buttons/)
  extensively covers what might be thought of as a simple topic: the
  `a` and `button` elements in HTML, along with their many attributes
  and quirks.

* [HTML: the inaccessible parts](https://daverupert.com/2020/02/html-the-inaccessible-parts/)
  explains how even basic HTML elements can cause accessibility issues
  for screen readers and other devices that help people with impairments
  to use the web.
