Web standards

Web standards are rules that help make the internet work for everyone. They are like agreed-upon ways for building and designing websites so they look good and work well on all kinds of devices, from computers to tablets and phones.

These standards are important because they make sure that websites are easy for everyone to use, including people with disabilities. They also help websites load faster and use less data, which is especially helpful for people with slow internet connections.

Following web standards means using best practices that keep websites safe, easy to use, and friendly to everyone. This way, no matter what device or browser someone uses, they can visit a website and have a smooth experience.

Overview

Web standards are rules that help websites work well for everyone. These rules cover many parts of the internet and make sure websites are easy to use on different devices.

Web standards come from groups like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). They create rules for things like HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and image formats. Other groups, such as the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) and Ecma International, also help make standards for technologies like JavaScript. These standards help websites stay current and work better for everyone.

The web standards movement

The web standards movement began with the launch of the Web Standards Project in August 1998. This group worked to improve how websites were built.

The movement promotes creating websites with good structure and design. This means making sure websites work well for everyone, no matter their device or ability. Before this movement, many websites used complex ways to look the same on older browsers. This made websites hard to use for people with disabilities and slower internet connections. The web standards movement uses simpler ways to build websites, aiming to make the web accessible to all.

Over time, the movement helped convince browser makers to support these standards. It continues to promote better web design practices. In 2007, Blue Beanie Day was started to celebrate web standards and web accessibility every year on 30 November.

Common usage

When we say a website follows web standards, it means the site uses proper building blocks like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The HTML should be easy for everyone to use and understand. Following the rules also includes setting up letters and symbols correctly, making good news feeds, and using the right formats for data.

When people talk about web standards, they often mention important guides from groups like W3C. These guides cover how to build web pages with HTML, XHTML, and SVG, how to style them with CSS, and how to use JavaScript. They also include rules for how web pages communicate and how to send and receive information properly. Making websites accessible to everyone is important, following guidelines from the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative.

Standards publications and bodies

A W3C recommendation is a set of rules that many people agreed on. It is approved by W3C members and the director.

An IETF Internet Standard is a good way to do things on the internet. When a rule becomes a standard, it gets a number but keeps its original number.

Non-standard and vendor-proprietary pressures

HTML 5 has some special rules that are not like the usual guidelines. These rules were added to help websites work well on older devices and systems.

Web Standards Compliance Testing

There are tests to see if websites follow the rules for building web pages and if web browsers understand those rules.

The W3C offers tools for both website creators and users. These tools help check the coding and styles of web pages.

The Web Standards Project has two tests for web browsers. They are called the Acid2 Browser Test and the Acid3 Browser Test.