This course will be retired on July 31, 2024. We recommend "Introduction to HTML and CSS" for up-to-date content.
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While many popular websites add interactivity with JavaScript and use backend languages like PHP, Python, and Ruby to store and retrieve data from a database, HTML and CSS are fundamental building blocks that make up much of what you see in the browser.
These days, there's a whole variety of different programming languages and frameworks that help to add interactivity and sophistication to a website, but at their core, they each rely on the power of HTML and CSS to build the stunning, interactive displays you've come to expect online.
Learning how to master the fundamentals of HTML and CSS is an essential first step for any aspiring web developer. HTML is the most basic building block of the Web and helps in providing meaning and structure for web content. The way we write and implement HTML can even help make the internet more accessible for people with diverse needs. CSS is used to describe the presentation or visual style of a website; without this, the internet would probably just be black text on a white background!
Despite HTML and CSS being creations of the 20th century, both continue to change and evolve to this day. New terms, concepts, and syntax are introduced frequently, making their use an exciting and integral part of the web development ecosystem.
New Terms:
JavaScript - a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web. Today it can be used for both front-end and back-end development.
Python - another general-purpose programming language, popular for use in automation and data analysis.
PHP - a popular general-purpose scripting language commonly used in back-end web development.
Ruby - an open-source programming language that emerged in the late 1990s, with a common application in back-end development.
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