W3C
The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is the international organisation that develops open web standards, such as CSS, the WCAG accessibility guidelines and various browser API specifications
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
It was founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web. It brings together companies, universities, public bodies and experts who produce specifications through consensus and public review; final documents are published as “Recommendations”. Since 2023 it has operated as a public-interest non-profit organisation.
Its work underpins the way browsers and websites interpret code consistently. Not every web standard depends on it, however: the HTML Living Standard is maintained by WHATWG, with which the W3C collaborates.
Also known as
World Wide Web Consortium
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