web standards

Internet's shared grammar

Web standards are the technical specifications that define how websites and browsers should work together.

Published mainly by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), they cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and accessibility guidelines.

Standards ensure that a website built correctly will function across different browsers and devices: The site fails validation against current web standards.

Developers who follow web standards create more accessible, maintainable code.

Related
  • HTMLWeb page code
  • SVGVector image file standard
  • CSSWeb presentation language
  • JavaScriptWeb programming language
  • AJAXAsynchronous browser-server communication

responsive · mobile first · accessibility · web accessibility · interoperability · form · semantic web · cross-platform · DOM · ARIA · graceful degradation · table · PNG · GIF · XML · browser · viewport · markup

Opposites
openness and interoperability

web standardswalled gardens

Restricted, self-contained digital ecosystems

Flash · proprietary software

technical conformity

web standardsspaghetti code

Poorly structured program

legacy code

Family

standards

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G