Web Standards

<!doctype html> <html dir="ltr" lang="en" class="no-js"> <head> <title>Web Standards | W3C</title> <meta charset="utf-8"/> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="description" content="This page introduces web standards at a high-level."/> <meta name="thumbnail" content="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/images/w3c-opengraph-image.png"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.w3.org/standards/"/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Web Standards"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/images/w3c-opengraph-image.png"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="630"/> <meta property="og:description" content="This page introduces web standards at a high-level."/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="W3C"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="w3c"/> 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class="nav__submenu__intro__heading">Standards</h2> <div class="nav__submenu__intro__text"> <p>Understand the various specifications, their maturity levels on the web standards track, and their adoption.</p> <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/">Explore web standards</a> </div> </div> <ul> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/about/">About W3C web standards</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C standards & drafts</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/types/">Types of documents W3C publishes</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/translations/">Translations of W3C standards & drafts</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/standards/review/">Reviews & public feedback</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/liaisons/">Liaisons</a> </li> <li > <a href="https://www.w3.org/get-involved/promote/">Promote web standards</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </li> <li class="top-nav-item has-children"> <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/" 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</a> </li> <li class="top-nav-item"> <a hreflang="en" href="https://www.w3.org/users/myprofile/" id="account-login-link" class="account-login icon-link with-icon--after"> My account <span class="avatar avatar--small icon"> <img src="https://www.w3.org/assets/website-2021/svg/avatar.svg" width="24" height="24" alt aria-hidden="true"/> </span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </header> <nav id="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ol class="breadcrumbs clean-list" role="list"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/standards/" aria-current="page">Web Standards</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> </nav> <main id="main" > <div class="u-full-width hero"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="l-sidebar"> <div> <div class="not-sidebar"> <h1>Web Standards</h1> <nav aria-label="Translations" class="translations"> <div class="l-sidebar"> <div> <div class="sidebar"> <span><span lange="en">Read this page in:</span></span> </div> <div class="not-sidebar"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ul class="clean-list translation-list"> <li> <a href="/zh-hans/standards/" hreflang="zh-Hans" lang="zh-Hans" dir="auto" > 中文（简体） </a> </li> <li> <a href="/ja/standards/" hreflang="ja" lang="ja" dir="auto" > 日本語 </a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <p class="lead">Web standards are blueprints –or building blocks– of a consistent and harmonious digitally connected world. They are implemented in browsers, blogs, search engines, and other software that power our experience on the web.</p> </div> <div class="sidebar"> <img src="https://www.w3.org/cms-uploads/globe.svg" alt/> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="component component--text"> <h2>The promise of web standards</h2><p>W3C standards define an <strong>open web platform</strong> for application development. The web has the unprecedented potential to enable developers to build rich interactive experiences, that can be available on any device.</p><p>The platform continues to expand, but web users have long ago rallied around HTML as the cornerstone of the web. Many more technologies that W3C and its partners are creating extend the web and give it full strength, including CSS, SVG, WOFF, WebRTC, XML, and a growing variety of APIs.</p><p><a class="button" href="https://www.w3.org/standards/about/">Read more about W3C Standards</a></p> </div> <div class="component component--text"> <h2>Why W3C web standards?</h2> <p>W3C publishes recommendations, that are considered web standards.</p> <p>W3C develops technical specifications according to the <a href="/policies/process/">W3C Process</a>, which is designed to maximize consensus, ensure quality, earn endorsement and adoption by <a href="/membership/list/">W3C Members</a> and the broader community.</p> <p>W3C web standards are optimized for interoperability, security, privacy, web accessibility, and internationalization.</p> <p>W3C's proven web standards process is based on fairness, openness, royalty-free, we make the web work, for everyone.</p> </div> <figure class="component component--video"> <div class="l-frame l-frame--16-9"> <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/110256895?dnt=1&app_id=122963" width="480" height="270" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write" title="Web standards for the future"></iframe> </div> <figcaption> <p>Learn about the potential and promises of web standards.</p> </figcaption> </figure> <div class="component component--text"> <h2 id="value">Value of creating standards at W3C</h2><p>Since 1994, W3C has been providing a productive environment for creating web standards that:</p><ul><li>follow a consensus-based decision process;</li><li>cater for accessibility, privacy, security, and internationalization;</li><li>reflect the views of diverse industries and global stakeholders;</li><li>balance speed, fairness, public accountability, and quality;</li><li>benefit from <a style="border-bottom:1px solid rgb(168,191,207);color:rgb(0,51,102);padding-bottom:0px;text-decoration:none;" href="/Consortium/Patent/">Royalty-Free patent licensing commitments</a> from participants;</li><li>are stable (and W3C ensures their persistence at the published URI);</li><li>benefit from wide review from groups inside and outside W3C;</li><li>are available at no cost;</li><li>are strengthened through interoperability testing;</li></ul> </div> <div class="component component--text"> <h2>Wide array of applications</h2><p>W3C <a href="/TR/">standards, technical specifications and guidelines</a> are widely deployed on the web:</p><ul><li>Rendering of web pages</li><li>Enabling access from any device</li><li>Architecture of the web</li><li>Linking data and services</li><li>Authoring tools</li></ul> </div> </main> <aside class="crosslinks"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="component component--columns component--columns--images"> <div class="component--columns__intro"> <h2>See also</h2> <p></p> </div> <ul class="clean-list" role="presentation"> <li> <div class="card" data-component="card"> <div class="card__text"> <h3 class="card__heading"> <a href="/TR/" class="card__link">W3C standards and drafts</a> </h3> <p> This page lists all W3C standards and specifications at any maturity level and by any W3C Working Groups. </p> <p class="txt-pluto"> Directory list </p> </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="card" data-component="card"> <div class="card__text"> <h3 class="card__heading"> <a href="/standards/about/" class="card__link">About W3C web standards</a> </h3> <p> This page explains more about W3C web standards, including the value of creating open web standards at the World Wide Web Consortium. </p> <p class="txt-pluto"> Page </p> </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="card" data-component="card"> <div class="card__text"> <h3 class="card__heading"> <a href="/standards/review/" class="card__link">Reviews and public feedback</a> </h3> <p> Public review and feedback on specifications, implementations, test suites, code. </p> <p class="txt-pluto"> Page </p> </div> </div> </li> <li> <div class="card" data-component="card"> <div class="card__text"> <h3 class="card__heading"> <a href="/mission/" class="card__link">Our mission</a> </h3> <p> Learn who W3C is, our values and the principles upon which we conduct our mission to led the Web to its full potential. </p> <p class="txt-pluto"> Page </p> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </aside> </div> <footer class="global-footer"> <div class="l-center"> <div class="global-footer__links"> <div class="l-cluster"> <ul class="clean-list" role="list"> <li> <a href="https://www.w3.org/" hreflang="en"> <span lang="en" dir="ltr">Home</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.w3.org/contact/" hreflang="en"> <span lang="en" dir="ltr">Contact</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.w3.org/help/" hreflang="en"> <span lang="en" dir="ltr">Help</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.w3.org/donate/" hreflang="en"> <span lang="en" dir="ltr">Donate</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/" hreflang="en"> <span lang="en" 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