Topic
Web standards
Shared technical specifications that let browsers, websites, and other software participate in an interoperable web.
At a glance
- Standards organization
- World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
- Example technologies
- CSS, SVG, and WebRTC
Overview
Web standards describe technologies used to create and exchange web content. W3C publishes recommendations and other specifications for the open web platform. Common rules allow implementations from different organizations to work together instead of requiring one proprietary browser or tool.
Why interoperability matters
Standards provide a shared target for implementers. The W3C process includes review and consensus-building, with attention to accessibility, security, privacy, and internationalization. Those concerns affect whether web experiences can serve people across devices and contexts.
Reading a specification
W3C publishes documents at different maturity levels. A draft and a recommendation do not represent the same stage of development. Check a document's status and relevant implementation support when deciding how to use a feature.
Sources and review
MOOR's explanatory text is supported by the following source links.
- Web Standards — World Wide Web Consortium
- Web standards: supporting documentation — World Wide Web Consortium