HTML and CSS – Understanding the Difference
Did you know that 96.6% of websites use HTML for their structure and content, while 97.1% use CSS to enhance visuals? Despite the huge difference between HTML and CSS, they work together to create well-structured, visually appealing websites with consistent design elements. In this blog post, we will explore how these two languages complement each other. Be sure not to miss out on our insights as we unpack the fundamentals behind both languages.
Overview of HTML and CSS
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a markup language used to create websites and pages. It provides the structure of the page, including how elements are organized on it. On the other hand, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) enables developers to modify visual aspects such as colors, fonts, and layouts of webpages they have created using HTML’s basic coding framework. Together, these two languages form an integral part of creating dynamic websites that can be viewed by anyone with access to internet browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
Explore our full stack developer course with placement guarantee to upgrade your skills in HTML and CSS.
The Difference between HTML and CSS – Based on Aspects
Here are the major HTML and CSS differences:
| S.No | HTML Characteristics | CSS Characteristics |
| 1. | A markup language is used to define the structure of a web page. | Style sheet language is used to style web pages using different styling features. |
| 2. | Tags inside which text is enclosed. | Selectors and declaration blocks. |
| 3. | No types. | Internal or external type, depending upon the requirement. |
| 4. | Can’t use HTML in CSS. | Can be included in an HTML document. |
| 5. | Not for presentation/visualization purposes. | For presentation & visualization purposes. |
| 6. | Less backup & support. | Higher backup and support are available. |
7. | No animations or transitions. | Allows animation & transitions, improving the UI. |
| 8. | .htm/.html extension saving. | Saved with a .css extension. |
HTML VS CSS – Features
HTML and CSS are two different languages that do different things but work together to build a useful website. Some of the features of HTML and CSS are:
1. HTML Features
Here are some of its essential features:
- HTML is one of the most straightforward programming languages to design and code websites with, as it is not case-sensitive; for example, <html> and <HTML> are both acceptable.
- Additionally, HTML isn’t limited to specific operating systems like Android or iOS; rather, it can be used on nearly all platforms.
- An HTML document has a hierarchical structure, beginning with the root tag, usually referred to as “HTML”. To this parent element, child elements such as head and body tags can then be attached at various points throughout its tree-like format/structure.
- HTML tags allow content to be displayed in browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and other types of web browsers.
- Images, hyperlinks, videos, and additional websites can all be embedded into an HTML document, making it more useful for website visitors to find what they are looking for easily and quickly on the page/site.
2. CSS Features
Here are some of the key features of CSS:
- CSS helps in separating design from content, providing better readability and accessibility as well as more flexibility in programming.
- Multiple selectors, such as ID Selector (#), universal selector (*), etc., can be used by accessing every element/group
- Styling is specifying the appearance of an element, typically through a set of key-value pairs. For example, you can use styling to define the font size for H1 as 24 px or stick with the default size, which is 32 px.
- There are three ways to integrate a CSS file into an HTML document: internal, external, and inline stylesheets.
- Internal is the use of style tags within the head tag; its advantage is that it allows for styling multiple elements at once.
- External requires using <link> tags placed in the head tag of the HTML file.
- Inline refers to defining properties for single tags with the style attribute.
Pros and Cons of HTML and CSS
HTML creates the structure of a web page, while CSS is used to make it look nice. So most times, you can’t choose one over the other, but rather, they can work together to build a better-looking website. Here are, however, some of the pros and cons of both:
1. HTML
Let us look at the pros and cons of HTML.
a. HTML (Pros)
Some advantages of HTML include:
- Easy to Learn: HTML is a programming language that is easy to learn and code, making it a great choice for new web developers.
- Free to Use: HTML is free to use, without the need for a license or subscription. This means that anyone can develop and deploy HTML-based websites from any device with an Internet connection.
- Compatible with Different Browsers: Browsers have the capability to interpret HTML properly so that content can look aesthetically pleasing on any device or platform when viewed online.
- Supports Different Languages: HTML supports the ability for developers to create webpages in multiple human-readable languages instead of solely relying on a single programming or markup language such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
- Lightweight: HTML is a lightweight coding language, so it can be quickly downloaded and parsed by web browsers. It also supports various platforms, such as Windows®, Mac OSX®, and Linux®, making it accessible to different users across multiple operating systems.
- Active Support Community: HTML is one of the most widely used and supported web languages, with a large community actively engaged in its development. This makes it easier for users to find support when they encounter issues or want to learn more about HTML’s capabilities.
b. HTML (Cons)
Some disadvantages of HTML include:
- Limited Security Features: HTML does not offer very robust security features to protect a website or web application against malicious attacks.
- Slow Technical progress: Since the inception of HTML, there have been few major changes and improvements to the language itself, leading to slow technical progress in HTML compared with other programming languages.
- Static Language: HTML is a static language, meaning that it can only display content on the page as written. It lacks any programming functions or logic and, therefore, cannot dynamically modify itself in response to user input or changing conditions.
2. CSS
Let us look at the pros and cons of CSS.
a. CSS (Pros)
Some advantages of CSS include:
- More Attributes: CSS has more attributes that allow developers to control the visual appearance of a website much more precisely than HTML. This includes layout, colors, fonts, background images, and other styling elements.
- Improved Website Speed: CSS is more powerful than HTML in terms of style and presentation because it provides features such as media queries, which allow web designers to create styles that respond differently based on conditions like screen sizes or device orientation.
- Better Web Page Style Formats: CSS can be used to style a web page without having to write complex code in HTML. This makes creating beautiful and functional websites much easier than with only HTML alone.
- Easy to Maintain: CSS allows you to make global changes in one place, rather than having to edit each element that needs adjusting. This makes it much easier for web designers or developers to maintain large websites with hundreds of pages. Any updates made will apply universally across all pages without needing multiple edits, saving time and effort.
- Offline Access: CSS allows websites to be accessed offline because it stores web page information (including design elements such as fonts and colors) in the user’s computer cache. This means that visitors can still access your site, even if they don’t have an active internet connection. In contrast, HTML requires a live connection for its content to appear on the screen.
b. CSS (Cons)
Some disadvantages of CSS include:
- No Built-in Security: CSS is an open text-based system, which means that anyone can view and modify the code. This lack of built-in security makes it vulnerable to malicious attacks since hackers may be able to access your website’s source code without any difficulty.
- Difficult to Manage: CSS requires significant upfront planning in order for websites with complex designs or large amounts of content (such as e-commerce sites) to maintain consistency between different elements on each page. Additionally, any errors made while coding are sometimes really hard to debug.
You can learn comprehensively about Web development, including HTML/CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, PHP, and React, by taking an online web development course.
Similarities between HTML and CSS
Here are the similarities between HTML and CSS:
- Integration: HTML and CSS are often used together, with HTML providing the structure of the page by creating elements such as headings <h>, paragraphs<p>, and images<img>. On the other hand, CSS helps style these markup elements using properties like color, font size, or background image to make them visually pleasing for website visitors.
- Syntax: Both languages use angle brackets (< >) around tags to identify elements on a webpage. This can be targeted using selectors such as classes and IDs to apply styling rules via properties like color, size, font, etc.
- Cascading: Both HTML and CSS use the principle of cascading, which means that style rules will be applied based on their order within an external/internal stylesheet. As well as according to how specific each selector is declared before being rendered into a viewable format in a compatible browser.
- Separation of Concerns: Each language has its own distinct purpose. HTML defines the structure of content with various types of markup, including headings <h>, paragraphs <p>, and images<img>. On the other hand, CSS is used for defining presentation-level styles such as background colors or text formatting based on these markup elements declared by their respective selectors.
- Compatibility: Both HTML and CSS are highly compatible across the majority of web browsers.
Conclusion
The fundamental difference between HTML and CSS lies in their roles within web development. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) serves as the structural backbone, defining the content and layout of a webpage through elements like headings and paragraphs. On the other hand, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is responsible for the visual presentation, enabling the customization of colors, fonts, and positioning to enhance the user experience. While HTML structures the content, CSS empowers designers to craft captivating and responsive designs. Together, these technologies harmonize to create the dynamic and aesthetically appealing web experiences we encounter daily.
