---
title: "SVG - Glossary | MDN"
chunk: 1/3
source: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/SVG"
category: "reference"
tags: "web, html, css, javascript, documentation"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T05:44:16.575118+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

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HTML
[HTML: Markup language](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML) 

HTML reference
    
  * [Elements](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference/Elements)
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HTML guides
    
  * [Responsive images](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Guides/Responsive_images)
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  * [SVG](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/SVG)
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[CSS: Styling language](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS) 

CSS reference
    
  * [Properties](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Reference/Properties)
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[JavaScript: Scripting language](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript) 

JS reference
    
  * [Standard built-in objects](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects)
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  * [See all…](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference "See all JavaScript references")

JS guides
    
  * [Control flow & error handing](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Control_flow_and_error_handling)
  * [Loops and iteration](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Loops_and_iteration)
  * [Working with objects](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Working_with_objects)
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[Web APIs: Programming interfaces](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API) 

Web API reference
    
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Web API guides
    
  * [Using the Web animation API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Animations_API/Using_the_Web_Animations_API)
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  * [Using the Web speech API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Speech_API/Using_the_Web_Speech_API)
  * [Using web workers](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API/Using_web_workers)

All
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Topics
    
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Frontend developer course
    
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Learn HTML
    
  * [Structuring content with HTML module](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content)

Learn CSS
    
  * [CSS styling basics module](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics)
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Learn JavaScript
    
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Tools
Discover our tools 
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  * [Border-image generator](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Guides/Backgrounds_and_borders/Border-image_generator)
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  1. [Glossary](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary)
  2. [SVG](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/SVG)

# SVG
_Scalable Vector Graphics_ (**SVG**) is a 2D vector image format based on an [XML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/XML) syntax.
The [W3C](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/W3C) began work on SVG in the late 1990s, but SVG only became popular when [Internet Explorer](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Microsoft_Internet_Explorer) 9 came out with SVG support. All major [browsers](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Browser) now support SVG.
Based on an [XML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/XML) syntax, SVG can be styled with [CSS](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/CSS) and made interactive using [JavaScript](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/JavaScript). HTML allows direct embedding of SVG [tags](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Tag) in an [HTML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/HTML) document.
As a [vector image format](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_graphics), SVG graphics can scale infinitely, making them invaluable in [responsive design](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Responsive_web_design), since you can create interface elements and graphics that scale to any screen size. SVG also provides a useful set of tools, such as clipping, masking, filters, and animations.
## In this article
  * [See also](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/SVG#see_also)

##  [See also](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/SVG#see_also)
  * [SVG section in the Image file type and format guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Image_types#svg_scalable_vector_graphics)
  * [SVG documentation on MDN](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/SVG)
  * Other image formats (glossary terms): [GIF](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/GIF), [JPEG](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/JPEG), [PNG](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/PNG), [WebP](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/WebP)
  * [HTML images](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_images) (Learn web development)
  * [Adding custom icons to your site](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Webpage_metadata#adding_custom_icons_to_your_site)
  * [Including vector graphics in HTML](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Including_vector_graphics_in_HTML)
  * [SVG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SVG) on Wikipedia
  * [SVG Primer](https://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/IG/resources/svgprimer.html) on w3.org