What Is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the standard markup language used to describe the structure and meaning of content on the web. HTML is not a programming language because it does not provide general-purpose control flow or algorithms. Instead, it uses elements and attributes to describe content. A browser parses HTML and builds a document tree called the DOM (Document Object Model).
HTML Provides Structure
HTML defines what content is and how it is structured. CSS controls presentation, while JavaScript controls behavior.
A Minimal HTML Document
<!doctype html>\n<html lang="en">\n <head>\n <meta charset="UTF-8">\n <title>Hello HTML</title>\n </head>\n <body>\n <h1>Hello World</h1>\n <p>My first HTML page.</p>\n </body>\n</html>💡 The document type declaration enables standards mode. The html element contains the document, head contains metadata, and body contains visible content.
Key Takeaways
- HTML describes document structure and semantics.
- Browsers convert HTML into a DOM tree.
Knowledge Check
What does HTML primarily provide?