Difference Between HTML and CSS
FreeOverview
This article provides an overview of HTML and CSS, two fundamental languages used in web development. It explains what HTML and CSS are, their features, the differences between HTML and CSS, and explores whether CSS is better than HTML. It also addresses the question of which language is easier and whether CSS can be used without HTML.
Introduction
You may have seen a lot of memes about HTML, CSS, HTML without CSS, HTML with CSS like this,
Yes, they are true. That's what a webpage also looks like with and without CSS.
What is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is a markup language and a fundamental building block for web applications. There is no logic involved in this like in programming languages. HTML consists of tags that define the structure of a document. Each tag serves a different purpose. For example, the <p> tag is used to surround the text in a paragraph, <h1>, <h2, ..., are used to define headings, <a> is used to define hyperlinks, and so on.
Example:
Features of HTML
HTML is a markup language used for creating the structure and content of web pages. It provides several features such as semantic tags for organizing and categorizing content, support for multimedia elements like images and videos, accessibility features for ensuring inclusive design, and the ability to create forms for user input. For a detailed explanation of the features of HTML, you can visit this article on Scaler Topics: Features of HTML.
What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. It describes how HTML elements should be displayed and are used to add styling to the HTML elements like colors, spacing, fonts, backgrounds, layouts, and many more. CSS consists of selectors and declarations. A selector can be an HTML tag, class, or id. Inside selectors, we put declarations. Declarations are "property-value" pairs. The combination of a selector and declarations within the selector is called a "CSS rule".
Example:
So HTML is used to build a document, and on the other hand, CSS is used to style that document.
Features of CSS
CSS is a language used to style and format the appearance of HTML documents. Its features include the ability to apply styles to multiple elements simultaneously, control layout and positioning, create responsive designs, specify fonts and colors, apply animations and transitions, and implement advanced selectors for targeting specific elements. CSS allows for the separation of design from content, enhancing the flexibility and maintainability of web pages.
Difference Between HTML and CSS
| HTML | CSS |
|---|---|
| HTML is used to build the Structure of website. | CSS is used to style the website. |
| It is a markup language because there is no logic involved. | It is a design language because it is used to style the website. |
| We can't write HTML inside CSS | We can write CSS inside HTML (Inline or in a separate file) |
| Easy to learn again because there is no logic involved in this. | Somewhat hard to learn compared to HTML |
| Used to define the structure of a webpage | Used to define the design of a webpage |
| File extension: .html or .htm | File extension: .css |
Example of HTML with and without CSS
This is what the Google homepage looks like with plain HTML code:
As you can see in the screenshot above, the website is very plain and unappealing. Let's make it attractive by adding styling with CSS.
This is how the same webpage appears after CSS has been added:
Our website is now more fascinating than it was before.
Conclusion
In this article,
- We got an idea of HTML and CSS, and they differ in use.
- We studied the basic differences between HTML and CSS in an application, as well as how webpages seem without CSS.
- We found that HTML is easier than CSS.
- We also learned we couldn't use CSS without HTML.
FAQ's
Which is Easier, CSS or HTML?
A. HTML is far more straightforward to learn and implement. There's nothing to be concerned about. On the other hand, CSS can be confusing, and difficult to debug the styles when anything goes wrong, or things don't perform as planned. However, if you've gained some good experience through building projects, CSS will be second nature to you.
Is CSS Better than HTML?
A. HTML and CSS serve two completely different purposes. While HTML is used to define the structure of a webpage, CSS is for styling that webpage. So we can't compare both of them.
Can We Use CSS without HTML?
A. HTML is the fundamental building block for websites. CSS is like an addition to HTML, so clearly, we can't use CSS without HTML.