HTML5 Self Closing Tags

HTML is a markup language used for creating web pages. In HTML, there are two types of tags: opening tags and closing tags. Opening tags begin with a less-than symbol (<) followed by the tag name, and closing tags begin with a less-than symbol followed by a forward slash (/) and the tag name. However, in HTML5, there are certain tags that can be self-closing, meaning they don’t require a separate closing tag. In this article, we will discuss self-closing tags in HTML5.

Self-closing tags are HTML tags that don’t require a separate closing tag. Instead, they are written as a single tag with a forward slash (/) at the end. Here’s an example of a self-closing tag in HTML5:

<img src="image.jpg" alt="an image" />

In this example, the <img> tag is a self-closing tag. It’s used to display an image on a web page and doesn’t require a separate closing tag.

There are several tags that can be self-closing in HTML5. Here are some examples:

• <area>
• <base>
• <br>
• <col>
• <embed>
• <hr>
• <img>
• <input>
• <link>
• <meta>
• <param>
• <source>
• <track>
• <wbr>

All of these tags can be written as self-closing tags in HTML5.

Self-closing tags can be useful for a few reasons. Firstly, they can make your code more concise and easier to read. For example, instead of writing:

<br></br>

You can simply write:

<br />

Secondly, self-closing tags can help prevent errors in your HTML code. If you forget to close a tag, your web page may not render correctly or may not work at all. By using self-closing tags, you can avoid this issue altogether.

Self-closing tags are a useful feature of HTML5. By knowing which tags can be self-closing and when to use them, you can write cleaner, more efficient HTML code. Remember to use self-closing tags when appropriate, but don’t overuse them, as some tags still require a separate closing tag.

1. https://www.tutorialstonight.com/self-closing-tags-in-html.php
2. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3558119/are-non-void-self-closing-tags-valid-in-html5