Websites are run on web browsers because the browser was built to read, interpret, and display web content. Typically websites are built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - web browsers have engines that render HTML as visual pages.
The browser renders images, videos, and other elements that make a website visually appealing and are designed to follow web standards like W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) to ensure compatibility with the standards so that websites render correctly across different browsers and devices.
In this article, we’ll be discussing cross-browser compatibility and its importance in web development. Let’s get started!
Web Browsers and Their Differences
There are different web browsers, and we’re familiar with more than a couple e.g. Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Brave, etc. These web browsers are all similar but also differ in various ways. Here are a few common differences among web browsers:
Performance: The speed at which browsers display or render web pages differs. Some browsers are faster than others.
Rendering Engine: Every browser has its rendering engine which is responsible for displaying content. E.g. Chrome uses Blink, Firefox uses Gecko engine, and Safari uses Webkit.
Security Features: Browsers apply different security measures to protect users from visiting malicious websites, amongst other features one of which includes a privacy setting that allows users to select and manage their privacy and security preferences.
Developers Tools: Browsers have built-in developer tools that are enabled by default. However, the features, user interface, and capabilities of the tools may differ.
Extensions or Add-ons: Additional features and functionalities that users can use to enhance their browsers differ. In Chrome, these additional features are called extensions, which users can install from third-party sources. There is also a store where users can search for and install extensions
Layout / Interface: Browsers don't have the same look or feel; Chrome's interface differs from Brave's. The layout, colors, tab management, etc., differ among many other differences.
Compatibility: The way different browsers adhere to standards differs, and this affects how websites behave in the browser this is why cross-browser compatibility is important when building a website - for instance, the way an element is positioned in Chrome may differ from Edge.








