Back to glossary

Cross-Browser Compatibility

The ability of a website, web application, or HTML construct to support various web browsers.

Categoryweb

Overview

Cross-browser compatibility ensures that a website functions and appears consistently across different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) and their various versions. It is a critical aspect of web development due to differences in how browsers interpret code.

Challenges

  • Rendering Engines: Different browsers use different engines (Blink, Gecko, WebKit).
  • Feature Support: Newer CSS or JS features may not be supported in older browsers.
  • Bugs: Browsers may have unique bugs or quirks in their implementations.

Solutions

  • Polyfills: Adding support for missing features.
  • Transpilation: Converting modern code to older versions (e.g., Babel).
  • CSS Prefixing: Adding vendor prefixes for experimental features.
  • Testing: Using tools like BrowserStack or Sauce Labs.

Related Terms

PolyfillTranspilation