HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
How to Switch From HTML Minifier Next 9 to HTML Minifier 5
A checklist to move from HTML Minifier Next to HTML Minifier—now maintained again—, which is mostly a matter of renaming.
#155 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
How to Upgrade From HTML Minifier 4 to 5
A checklist to work through the breaking changes when updating from HTML Minifier 4.0.0, released in 2019.
#154 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next: Extended Benchmarks, Self-Close Foreign Elements, Fewer Redundant Attributes, JSON Minification Opt-In
On the most recent changes to the super-configurable web page minifier.
#153 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
How to Set Up Web Page Minification With Jekyll
Install, add plugin, done.
#152 · · development, performance, optimization
How to Set Up Web Page Minification With VitePress
On minifying HTML as well as inline CSS and JS in VitePress projects.
#151 · · development, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next: Exempt CSS, JS, and SVG From Minification, Collapse No-Break Spaces and Empty Attributes, Higher Correctness
On the latest changes to the super-configurable web page minifier.
#150 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
On the Engineering Philosophy for HTML Minifier Next
Maximum effectiveness, up-to-date dependencies, and no fear of major releases: the three guiding tenets behind HTML Minifier Next.
#149 · · tools, development, performance
2026: 2 of the Global Top 200 Websites Use Valid HTML
Among websites, being part of the 1% is a good thing—the latest findings from the annual study about the most important and simultaneously most difficult language in the world.
#148 · · development, conformance
HTML Minifier Next: Unused-CSS Removal, Improved Web Demo, and Greater Versatility, Security, and Performance
A few notes on the latest updates to HMN.
#147 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
Syntax Highlighting: No Extra HTML for Code Blocks via Custom Highlight API and syntaxp
Keeping it simple where it affects your code and your users.
#146 · · tools, development
HTML Minifier Next: JSON Schema, Cache Statistics, Default Config File
An update on the latest changes on the super-configurable web page minifier.
#145 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next 7 Is ESM-Only
The next major version of the super-configurable web page minifier is there.
#144 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
Releasing hihtml, a Supertool for HTML Validation, Link-Checking, and Minification
What if you only needed one tool to handle all the key HTML optimization tasks?
#143 · · tools, development, conformance, quality, optimization
AI and HTML: Validating, Omitting Optional Code, and Minifying as Token Optimization
Producing valid, minimal, and minified HTML aren’t just frontend development best practices—they’re also a token optimization strategy. On HTML optimization coming with new incentives.
#142 · · development, conformance, ai, optimization
HTML.md
The briefest guidance for writing HTML.
#141 · · development, ai
HTML Minifier Next: Zero-Config Mode, SVG Minification With SVGO, Even Faster
An update on recent improvements to the super-configurable web page minifier.
#140 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
Astro: How to Set Up More Powerful HTML Minification (in 31 Seconds)
On improving HTML as well as CSS, JS, and SVG minification in Astro projects.
#139 · · development, performance, optimization
How to Improve Your HTML Game
On moving beyond unsystematic HTML by choosing a deliberate writing style, committing to validation, and regularly consulting the specification.
#138 · · development
HTML Minifier Next 5, a Quick Upgrade Guide
A checklist to work through the breaking changes of this major update.
#137 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next: Even Faster, JavaScript Minification With SWC, SVG Minification
On making HMN better and better.
#136 · · tools, development, javascript, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next: Presets, New Config Options, Minification Sharing, and Type Definitions
A quick overview of some recent improvements to one of the oldest and most versatile HTML minifiers.
#135 · · tools, development, performance, optimization
Comparing HTML Minifiers
How do HTML Minifier Next, HTML Minifier Terser, htmlnano, @swc/html, minify-html, minimize, and htmlcompressor.com compare in terms of effectiveness, speed, and maintenance?
#134 · · development, performance, optimization
HTML Semantics: The Short Descriptions of All 113 Elements
A complete overview: How the HTML spec defines the meaning of all current HTML elements.
#133 · · development, semantics
Eleventy: How to Set Up Effective HTML Minification (in 24 Seconds)
Install, add import and config, done.
#132 · · development, performance, optimization
On Web Development II
A comprehensive ebook marking another 10 years of meiert.com, featuring 180 curated articles on web development from 2015 to 2025.
#131 · · books, development, css, management
HTML Minifier Next: Improved Minification, More Comprehensive CLI, Clearer Docs (and a Switch to Lightning CSS)
On making it easier to minify, optimize, and speed up HTML at scale.
#130 · · tools, development, css, performance, optimization
HTML—the Most Difficult Programming Language in the World
Where we seem to stand after declaring that HTML is a programming language and finding that most HTML documents contain errors.
#129 · · development
2025: 0 of the Global Top 200 Websites Use Valid HTML
With the latest results from the annual HTML conformance analysis, the legend of what may be the most difficult language in the world continues to grow.
#128 · · development, conformance
Why and How to Write Minimal and Valid HTML, a Link Guide
On using all of HTML’s features and ensuring that HTML code is error-free—two surprisingly underused and unpopular approaches to writing HTML.
#127 · · development, minimalism, conformance, performance, optimization
HTML Minifier Next (a Maintained Fork of HTML Minifier)
On providing an alternative version of HTML Minifier, critical web tooling that cannot remain unmaintained.
#126 · · tools, development, optimization, performance
The Magic of the Most Minimal HTML Possible (and Why We Don’t Make Use of It)
On challenging XHTML–HTML and regular redos, by looking at HTML–HTML, full separation of concerns, and iterations.
#125 · · development, minimalism, conformance, maintainability
How Often Should We Speak About HTML Conformance?
Our field ships erroneous and fantasy HTML, all the time. When we analyze how often we talk about valid HTML, we obtain varying data. Let’s review what’s going on.
#124 · · development, conformance
5 Ways to Reduce HTML File Size on Your Website, Step 0
The journey begins with an unpopular step.
#123 · · development, performance, minimalism, optimization
DeepSeek and HTML
“What is the most minimal valid HTML document?”, DeepSeek-R1 edition.
#122 · · development, minimalism, conformance, ai
Order Force in HTML?
Do you, too, find certain ways of ordering attributes to be more natural than others?
#121 · · development
Testing 10 JavaScript Frameworks on Their HTML Defaults
When you validate the demo and starter projects of popular frameworks like React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Astro, &c., what do you find? On challenging the idea that JavaScript frameworks could fuel the HTML crisis.
#120 · · development, javascript, frameworks, conformance
HTML Conformance: A Comparison of 6.5 npm Validator Packages (With 1.5 Recommendations)
What do you do if you want to make sure you’re not writing and shipping fantasy HTML, but choose to or have to avoid the web-based W3C HTML validator?
#119 · · development, conformance
What Is HTML Optimization? What Is It Not?
Is HTML optimization as well-defined as we need it to be? A look at what’s out there and an attempt to be clearer.
#118 · · development, quality, optimization
Where Has All the Valid HTML Gone
When we look at the state of HTML… how much of it actually is HTML?
#117 · · development, conformance
HTML/CSS Frameworks, in Their Own Words (by Word Cloud)
Checking in on Bootstrap, Tailwind, Foundation, Bulma, Milligram, Pure, and UIkit.
#116 · · development, css, frameworks
2024: 0.5% of the Global Top 200 Websites Use Valid HTML
The annual HTML conformance analysis, validating 200 home pages of the most popular websites. Despite improvements, there is no signal of commitment to valid output as a quality baseline to benefit end users as well as web development as a profession.
#115 · · development, conformance
The HTML History and Optimization Cheat Sheet
Compare elements and specifications, check on void elements and optional tags.
#114 · · development, optimization
Rote Learning HTML & CSS
The book you never thought you wanted. The rough and raw skeleton of HTML and CSS. Elements, attributes, selectors, properties. No explanations, no examples, no context. Not a New York Times bestseller—but it’s free.
#113 · · books, development, css, semantics
A Node and Command Line Tool to Find Obsolete HTML
Have you ever wondered if and where you have obsolete HTML in your codebase? Of course, there’s a tool for that.
#112 · · tools, development, conformance
Know the search Element
Let’s talk about element #112.
#111 · · development
We Need to Talk More About Conformance, if We Want to Stop Fantasy HTML
Conformant and valid HTML is the exception on websites and in apps, even though valid output is a sign of professional web development. Given how rarely the topic is being discussed these days, we benefit from raising more awareness for HTML conformance and validation.
#110 · · development, conformance
Upgrade Your HTML V
The newest part of the ebook series for HTML craftspeople and minimalists, touching on past, present, and future of the greatest document language ever specified.
#109 · · books, development, minimalism, optimization
Stop Closing Void Elements
Some developers believe in closing all HTML elements. Some have to close all HTML elements. Others don’t believe in doing so, or aren’t forced either way. In Upgrade Your HTML IV, I wrote a little about closing void elements.
#108 · · development
“HTML First” Is Not HTML First
On what is and what isn’t “HTML First.” (It’s not just a hunch: It should start with HTML.)
#107 · · development, conformance, semantics, accessibility
The 9 HTML Elements That Have an Attribute of the Same Name, or: The 9 Attributes That Have an Element of the Same Name
There are nine HTML elements that have an attribute of the same name. You’ll never guess what follows next.
#106 · · development