Published: Aug 28, 2024
When I first dipped my toes into web development, the vast ocean of technologies felt overwhelming. But at the core of it all was HTML—HyperText Markup Language. It’s the backbone of every website you visit, a simple yet powerful tool that lays the foundation for the web.
What is HTML?
HTML is like the skeleton of a webpage. It provides the structure that holds everything together—text, images, links, and more. When you view a webpage, what you see is a combination of HTML elements, styled with CSS and powered by JavaScript. But without HTML, none of these would exist in the first place.
The first time I wrote HTML, it was pretty basic, to say the least. I created a page with a heading and a couple links to test out. It looked so plain, but it really grabbed my curiosity on how the web works. This, in turn, made me dive deeper into web technologies and the tech that powers our browsers.
The Basics of HTML
HTML's foundation consists of elements, each marked by tags. Most of which contain opening and closing tags. You can denote the closing tags by the forward slash on the last tag. These tags instruct the browser on how to present content within your window. For example:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Hello, World!</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Hello, World!</h1>
<p>This is my webpage!</p>
</body>
</html>
This straightforward code snippet generates a webpage with a title, a heading, a paragraph, and a link. The tags—<head>,<title>,<body>,<h1>, and<p>—are the cornerstones of HTML.
Why HTML Matters
When I first began, I didn't think HTML was as much of an integral part of the web as it truly is. Since I didn't see any styling, it just looked plain and static to me. It’s not just about creating static web pages—it’s about understanding the structure of the web. When you grasp HTML, you can manipulate content, improve accessibility, and even optimize for search engines.
Plus, HTML is everywhere. Whether you’re building a simple portfolio site, developing a complex web application, or even working on emails, HTML is at the heart of it all.
My Journey with HTML
Over the years, my journey with HTML hasn't stopped. Even after I learned HTML and how to properly structure my code, it carried into other aspects of my work. Email templating, using frameworks and libraries like Angular and React, everything involved me utilizing my knowledge of HTML to finish the jobs I was working on.
Since the beginning, when I was creating static websites, HTML has stuck with me as I said before. Now, years later, when I write React code I use something called JSX. JSX is extremely similar to HTML and ends up becoming that when the browser shows the application.
So, on your journey with HTML don't forget the basics that you are learning. These will always be relevant whether you expect it to or not!
Final Thoughts
If you're starting your journey into web development, HTML is the place to begin. It's the bedrock upon which everything else is built in the web. And if you're already acquainted with HTML, take a moment to appreciate its simplicity and structure. In a world of constantly changing technologies, HTML stands as a constant—a testament to the lasting power of the web.
