Markdown
Definition
A lightweight markup language that uses plain text formatting syntax, designed to be easily converted to HTML and other formats.
Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool created by John Gruber in 2004. It uses intuitive plain text syntax for formatting: # for headings, ** for bold, * for italics, - for lists, [] () for links, and ``` for code blocks. The goal is to be readable in both raw and rendered forms.
Markdown has become the standard for documentation in software development. README files on GitHub, technical documentation, blog posts, notes applications (Obsidian, Notion), and messaging platforms (Slack, Discord) all support Markdown formatting.
Variants like GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) extend the base specification with features like tables, task lists, strikethrough, and syntax-highlighted code blocks. MDX further extends Markdown with JSX support, enabling interactive components within Markdown documents.
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Related Terms
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
techThe standard markup language for creating web pages, defining the structure and content of a page using elements represented by tags.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
techA stylesheet language used to describe the visual presentation and layout of HTML documents, controlling colors, fonts, spacing, and responsive design.
Git
techA distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code, enabling multiple developers to collaborate on projects simultaneously.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
techA lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate.
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