Difference Between HTML and CSS

Difference Between HTML and CSS

5 mins read314 Views Comment
Vikram
Vikram Singh
Assistant Manager - Content
Updated on May 15, 2023 06:36 IST

In this article, we will discuss what is html, what is CSS and the difference between them with the help of example. Later in the article we will also discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of HTML and CSS.

2023_05_Feature-Image-Templates-27.jpg

HTML and CSS are two fundamental languages that are essential for building web pages. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) structures and organizes the web page content, whereas CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) defines the presentation and layout of the content. Both languages are closely related and often used together, but both serve distinct purposes and have different syntax and capabilities.

This article will explore the key differences between HTML and CSS and how they can be used to create compelling and engaging web pages.

Let’s start the article with the tabular comparison between HTML and CSS.

Table of Content

Difference Between HTML and CSS: HTML vs CSS

Parameter HTML CSS
Full Form Hyper Text Markup Language Cascading Style Sheet
Definition It is used to define the structure and content of the webpage. It is used to define the presentation and layout of the webpage.
Syntax Uses tags and attributes. Uses selectors and declarations.
Type of Language It is a markup language. It is a style sheet language.
Purpose It provides the basic building block of the webpage. It styles the webpage by adding visual effects.
Functionality It determines the hierarchy of content on a webpage. It determines the appearance and style of content on the webpage.
Interactivity It can be used with JavaScript to create dynamic web pages. It can’t be used to create interactivity on a webpage.
Example <html>, <head> <body>, <p>, <img> Colour, font size, margin, padding, position
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What is HTML?

HTML or HyperText Markup Language is a standard markup language that is used to create web pages. It provides the structure and content of a web page by using tags and elements to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, lists, and images.

Let’s take an example to get a better understanding of HTML.

 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Shiksha Online</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to Shiksha Online Courses</h1>
<p>Platform to Search Best Courses</p>
<ul>
<li>Top Online Programming Courses and Certifications</li>
<li>Top Online HTML Courses and Certifications</li>
<li>Top Online CSS Courses and Certifications</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
Copy code

Output

2023_05_HTML.jpg

Let’s break down the above example:

  • <!DOCTYPE html>: Used to specify that this an HTML5 document.
  • <html>: It is a root element of an HTML page, and it contains the entire web page.
  • <head>: Contains the metadata about the document, such as the webpage’s title.
    • <title>: Used to specify the element’s title.
  • <body>: Contains the web page’s content, such as headings, paragraphs, lists, and images.
    • <h1>: Defines the heading (H1 is the page’s largest and most important heading).
    • <p>: Defines the paragraph of the text.
    • <ul>: It defines an unordered list, and each list item is defined with the <li> element.

What is CSS?

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a style sheet language describing web page presentation and layout. It allows web developers to control the appearance of the HTML elements by defining rules that specify how the elements should be displayed.

CSS can be applied to HTML documents in three ways:

  • Inline Style: CSS rules are specified within an HTML element’s ‘style’ attribute.
  • Inline Style Sheet: CSS rules are specified within the ‘style’ element in the head section of an HTML document.
  • External Style Sheet: CSS rules are specified in a separate CSS file and linked to an HTML document using the <link> element in the head section of the HTML document.

Let’s take the example above and apply an inline style within the style element of the head section of an HTML document.

 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Shiksha Online</title>
<style>
p {
color: red;
font-size: 16px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to Shiksha Online Courses</h1>
<p>Platform to Search Best Courses</p>
<ul>
<li>Top Online Programming Courses and Certifications</li>
<li>Top Online HTML Courses and Certifications</li>
<li>Top Online CSS Courses and Certifications</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
Copy code

Output

2023_05_CSS-1.jpg

Advantages and Disadvantages

HTML

Advantages Disadvantages
Easy to Learn Version Dependency
Widely supported as all major web supports it browsers and platforms. It has limited functionalities that limit it to creating dynamic or interactive web pages.
It provides features such as alt attributes for images and ARIA attributes for dynamic content, which makes it easier to create an accessible web page. If not properly coded, HTML is vulnerable to security threats such as cross-site scripting and injection attacks.
It supports a responsive design that allows web pages to adapt to different screen sizes, making them mobile-friendly. It has a maintenance issue since the web pages become more complex, so managing the HTML code becomes challenging and requires more time.
HTML is SEO Friendly as it provides semantic tags that help search engines to understand and index web pages. HTML provides limited control over the visual appearance of the web page, which makes it necessary to use CSS to style the fonts.

CSS

Advantages Disadvantages
Allows developers to separate the content and presentation of the web page, which helps to maintain and update the web page. It requires a deep understanding of design principles and best practices.
Provides flexible layout options, which allows web developers to create responsive designs that can adjust on different screens. Different web browsers may interpret the CSS differently, which leads to inconsistency in the visual appearance of the web page.
It allows for consistent design elements across multiple web pages, creating a cohesive user experience.  It requires a steep learning curve to master, especially for those who are not familiar with the design principle earlier.
It can be applied to multiple HTML elements, reducing the required code and making the web pages faster.  The CSS code can become bloated and difficult to manage as web pages become more complex.
All major web browsers support CSS, ensuring that web pages look consistent across different designs and devices. Old browsers may not support new CSS features, leading to the compatibility issue.

Conclusion

In this article, we have briefly discussed what is HTML, what is CSS with the help of examples. We have also discussed the difference between and the advantages and disadvantages of HTML and CSS.

Hope you will like the article.

Keep Learning!!

About the Author
author-image
Vikram Singh
Assistant Manager - Content

Vikram has a Postgraduate degree in Applied Mathematics, with a keen interest in Data Science and Machine Learning. He has experience of 2+ years in content creation in Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, and Mac... Read Full Bio