HTML5
How to hire HTML5 specialists
HTML5 developers are front-end developers with a specialization in the use of the HTML5 language to produce and present digital content on websites and mobile devices. HTML5 developers generally have a strong understanding and command of previous iterations of the HTML language, which can be used to help you and your business update or integrate any currently existing systems.
Defining your project with as much detail and documentation as possible will help you attract the right HTML5 developer to your project. The better you define your project, the more accurate the estimates will be when developers propose terms for your project.
The first thing you should flesh out is what the HTML5 developer will be doing. This enables you to describe the work to be done and gives you some direction on the level of programmer that you need (junior, intermediate, or senior).
These and other details may include:
- Information about your business or industry.
- A summary of your project: What it is, and why it’s happening.
- Your target audience.
- A project timeline, including any key milestones/deliverables and testing timelines.
- The project budget.
How to shortlist HTML5 specialists
A few other questions you may want to ask:
- “Can you name a few of your favorite new features from HTML5?” HTML5 launched with a lot of new features that any true HTML5 developer is sure to know about. Also look for answers involving features like geolocation, drag-and-drop, caching, and other fun new extensions to the JavaScript API.
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“What’s the difference between the HTML5 <header> tag and traditional header tags like <h1>?” This is a simple test of HTML5 knowledge—the <header> element is simply one of the structural elements of a web page, like the <body>, <article> or <section> elements. They help you better organize your content. <h1> tags retain their original role as the top-level heading of a “section.”
- “What is HTML5 Web Storage and how does it work?” One of the new features of HTML5 is the ability it grants web pages to store data locally without the use of cookies using Web Storage. It’s inherently more secure, as it involves storing data as name/value pairs that are only accessible by the web page that stored the data itself—information never has to be sent to the server. Bonus points if they also mention localStorage and sessionStorage in their answer, the former being a more permanent form of storage that remains on the user’s computer until they choose to clear their browser cache, the latter being a less permanent form that terminates after a user session ends.
How to write an effective HTML5 developer job post
Writing the perfect job description to find a front-end developer with expertise in HTML5 should include the basics about your site as well as some insight into the structure, content, and design of your site. Explain in detail what the site or app will do and look like so they know what’s being asked of the HTML markup that will organize the CSS and JavaScript (which create the look and feel and interactivity).
Tip: Since most front-end developers will probably list HTML5 as a skill, it is especially important you specifically state why you want an HTML5 developer and not just general front-end help.
To appeal to the HTML5 developer who’s best suited to your project, write a job post that explains:
- The problem you’re trying to solve with your app or site
- Wireframes or mockups that describe the architecture, content and functionality
- Any existing integrations, preprocessors, task runners, frameworks, or libraries used
- The deliverables and timeline
- Any requests for the proposal process
HTML5 FAQs
What is HTML5?
HTML5 is a core component behind the structure of a webpage. HTML elements form the basic building blocks of a website, allowing developers to semantically structure content into headers, paragraphs, lists, and the other familiar elements that make up a webpage.
HTML5 is the fifth iteration of the near ubiquitously used HTML markup language used for organizing and publishing content on the World Wide Web. HTML5 was standardized and unveiled its first full and stable release in 2014, and has quickly become used in all manner of devices and services, including 34 of the top 100 websites.
Why hire an HTML5 developer?
If you are creating content to present on the web and want to incorporate multimedia elements, it is important to use the proper scripting protocols and tools, like Adobe Flash and HTML.
An HTML5 developer is simply a front-end developer who has specialized knowledge in HTML5, and is capable of taking advantage of all the perks unique to this latest iteration of the HTML specification. A front-end developer uses a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build the client-side or user-facing portion of a website—which includes everything from front-end features like drop-down menus and shiny call-to-action buttons, to the overall manner in which photos, articles, videos, and other content are displayed in your web browser.
How much does it cost to hire an HTML5 developer?
How do you estimate a budget for how much it will cost to hire an HTML5 developer? Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions. Learn about the cost to hire an HTML5 developer.
HTML vs. XHTML vs. HTML5
While their names may sound the same, HTML, HTML5, and XHTML are three variations on the markup language HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and each are different technologies with unique capabilities, representing evolutions of HTML throughout its lifespan as the backbone of web technology. In this article, we’ll take a quick look at the role of markup languages in web development, and how these three versions differ from one another.
What are markup languages?
Markup languages are the foundation of the web—where it all started, when websites were just static pages with text and a little formatting. Essentially, everything you see on the web is a combination of markup (text), cascading style sheets or CSS (design), and front-end scripts (interactivity). That markup, made possible by HTML, is what creates a site’s foundation.
A good way to think about markup languages is as the “architecture” for a site, creating its structure and content. While programming languages like Ruby, PHP, and Python provide machines with instructions, markup languages provide computers with information. Programming languages tell data and databases how to behave; markup languages structure that data.
HTML
HTML was the first Internet-based language developed strictly for the web. Anything displayed in a browser is organized via HTML—it’s central to the web development process and has evolved along with it.
HTML is static structure, organization, and content—think of those early websites that were simple text with some basic formatting. The way it works is through “tags,” which tell a browser how to display specific pieces of text. At its most simple, an HTML tag tells a browser to make the selected text bold, and the same goes for aligning text, creating headlines, adding hyperlinks, and more.
Once that basic HTML markup document is created, all other dynamic aspects of a site can be embedded into that file—e.g., a JavaScript program to add interactivity, server-side scripts that connect the site to the database, and CSS files that add stylistic elements. These files can all be linked out of the HTML file, making it much like the backbone of the site.
XHTML (eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language)
XHTML is essentially identical to HTML4 (the fourth iteration of HTML), but with elements of XML that extend HTML’s capabilities. XHTML came along before HTML5, right after HTML4, solving for some cross-browser compatibility issues and offering a “best of both worlds” scenario. It’s a bit stricter than HTML, providing more precise standards and specifications for how a site’s data is broken down and transmitted. This does make it a bit unforgiving, however, and it can be tougher to debug.
XHTML is written in the same format as an XML application, another descriptive markup language that functions like a complement to HTML, specifically handling how data is organized. (In markup, XML describes elements of data, while HTML displays that data.)
Much of what XHTML was designed to do has been covered with the launch of HTML5, however, making it nearly obsolete.
HTML5: the latest and greatest version of HTML
HTML’s latest evolution, HTML5, is a versatile game-changer. HTML5 adds a ton of new features to the HTML repertoire, making it able to do so much more on its own. It’s a hybrid of three types of code—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—and by bundling these three components, HTML5 lets developers work faster and more efficiently. The resulting site architecture is agile, mobile-friendly, and compatible with more browsers.
So, how else is HTML5 different from HTML? First, it touts one major advantage over its predecessor: cross-platform application development. It also solves problems that XHTML formerly addressed, and boasts better compatibility across more browsers.
HTML5 has incorporated many new APIs and features like drawing, video playback, and drag-and-drop—effects that developers could only implement before with the help of third-party plug-ins.