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HTML vs. XHTML

HTML and XHTML are both markup languages for structuring webpages. XHTML is a stricter, XML-based version of HTML, enforcing stricter rules like properly closed tags and case sensitivity. HTML5 relaxed many rules, making it more forgiving, but XHTML's rigor can lead to more consistent code.

Key Topics

Differences

In XHTML, elements must be properly nested, always closed, and attribute names and tags are often lowercase. HTML is more lenient, allowing certain tags to be left open and is not case-sensitive.

XHTML Example

Example: A simple XHTML page requires proper DOCTYPE and strict tag closing.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
<head>
    <title>XHTML Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <p>Hello, XHTML!</p>
</body>
</html>

Why HTML5 is Popular

HTML5 does not require a complex DOCTYPE, is more forgiving, and supports new semantic elements and APIs, leading most developers to choose HTML5 over XHTML.

Key Takeaways

  • XHTML is stricter, XML-based HTML with strict syntax rules.
  • HTML (especially HTML5) is more lenient and widely used today.
  • XHTML demands well-formed markup, while HTML5 is more forgiving.
  • Most modern webpages use HTML5 for flexibility and new features.
  • Choose XHTML if you need XML compliance; otherwise, HTML5 suffices.
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