TodayTools

W3C and web standards flashcards

Who writes the rules of the web and how they are made.

Donate
Beginner friendly, starts from zero
Section
How to study
0
W3C and web standardsStart from zero · 1 of 12

What is the W3C, in one plain sentence?

The World Wide Web Consortium is a group that writes shared rules for how the web works, so every browser can show the same page the same way.

The web's rulebook writers.

All topics

W3C and web standards at a glance

The W3C writes shared rules for the web, so every browser shows the same page the same way.

Like the rules of football: one body writes them down, so any team can play any other. Browsers are the teams.

Words you will meet

Browser engine
The part inside a browser that reads a page's code and draws it
Specification
A written rule document, often called a spec
Standard
A spec that browser makers and others have agreed to follow
Interoperable
Working the same way in every browser
Standards body
A group that writes and agrees specs, like the W3C or the IETF
Recommendation
The W3C's final stamp that a spec is finished and stable
RFC
A numbered rule document from the IETF, such as the one for HTTP

The steps

  1. 1. Start from zero (12 cards): What the W3C is, why web standards exist and the words you need, in plain English.
  2. 2. Core basics (15 cards): Who writes which web standard, what a spec is, and how to use one in daily work.
  3. 3. Next steps (15 cards): How a spec matures, who builds it, how features are tested and when they are safe to ship.
  4. 4. Go deeper (16 cards): WCAG levels and laws, patents, governance, objections, reading IDL and taking part.
All 12 cards in Start from zero
What is the W3C, in one plain sentence?
The World Wide Web Consortium is a group that writes shared rules for how the web works, so every browser can show the same page the same way.
What went wrong on the web before shared rules were taken seriously?
In the late 1990s, browser makers raced to add their own features. Sites said "best viewed in" one browser and broke in others, so builders made several versions of each page.
Where do you meet web standards in daily life?
Each time a site looks the same on your phone and your laptop, when you sign in with a passkey, or when a screen reader reads a page aloud to someone who cannot see it.
What is a good everyday picture of what the W3C does?
The rules of football. One body writes them down, so any team from any country can play any other. Browsers are the teams; the specs are the rulebook.
What are the web, a website and a browser?
The web is all the linked pages on the internet. A website is one group of pages, like a shop's site. A browser is the app that opens them: Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge.
What is a browser engine, and how many big ones are there?
The engine is the part inside a browser that reads a page's code and draws it. Three big ones: Blink (Chrome, Edge), WebKit (Safari, and every iPhone browser) and Gecko (Firefox).
What are HTML, CSS and JavaScript?
The three languages of a web page. HTML gives the structure, CSS gives the look, and JavaScript gives the behaviour. An API is a set of ready commands a browser gives JavaScript, like asking for your location.
What do specification, standard and interoperable mean?
A specification, or spec, is a written rule document, like how a table should look. A standard is a spec that everyone agreed on. Interoperable means it works the same in every browser.
Who writes the rules? What is a standards body?
A standards body is a group that writes and agrees specs. The W3C, the WHATWG, TC39 (for JavaScript) and the IETF (for how computers talk) each own a part. The W3C's final stamp on a spec is called a Recommendation.
What are HTTP and an RFC?
HTTP is the language browsers and servers use to ask for and send pages. An RFC is the name of the documents where the IETF writes rules like HTTP, numbered like RFC 9110.
What do you need to start, and what is a quick first win?
Just a browser, nothing to install. Paste this line into the free checker at validator.w3.org. The <b> tag is opened but never closed before </p>, so the checker reports it.
What will you be able to do after this topic?
Know which group owns HTML, CSS, JavaScript and HTTP, read a spec and find the rules that count, check a page with W3C tools, and judge whether a new feature is safe to use.
W3C and web standards cheatsheet

Who owns what

  • W3C CSS, WCAG, ARIA, SVG, WebAuthn, WebRTC, Wasm
  • WHATWG HTML, DOM, Fetch, URL, Streams
  • Ecma TC39 JavaScript (ECMAScript)
  • IETF HTTP, TLS, cookies, QUIC (RFCs)
  • Khronos WebGL, glTF
  • Unicode Consortium Characters, emoji, CLDR locale data
  • FIDO Alliance CTAP for passkey authenticators

W3C stages

  • FPWD First Public Working Draft
  • WD Working Draft, expect changes
  • CRD / CRS Candidate Rec Draft / Snapshot
  • PR Proposed Rec, final member review
  • REC Recommendation, the standard
  • Note Published, not a standard
  • ED Editor's Draft, the latest text

Where specs live

  • w3.org/TR/ Published W3C specs
  • drafts.csswg.org CSS editor drafts
  • html.spec.whatwg.org HTML Living Standard
  • tc39.es/ecma262 Current ECMAScript draft
  • rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110 HTTP semantics
  • wpt.fyi Cross-browser test results

WCAG 2.2 AA quick facts

  • 1.4.3 Contrast 4.5:1 text, 3:1 large text
  • 1.4.11 Non-text contrast 3:1 for controls and focus rings
  • 1.4.10 Reflow Usable at 320 CSS px wide
  • 2.1.1 Keyboard Everything works without a mouse
  • 2.4.7 Focus visible Focused element is visible
  • 2.5.8 Target size At least 24 by 24 CSS px
  • 3.3.8 Accessible authentication No memory or puzzle tests to log in

Spec words

  • MUST / MUST NOT Absolute requirement
  • SHOULD Recommended unless good reason
  • MAY Truly optional
  • Non-normative Explains, does not bind
  • [SecureContext] HTTPS or localhost only
  • [Exposed=Window] Available on pages only
Donate