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What Is Markdown? Syntax & GitHub Flavored Markdown

Markdown is a lightweight markup language using plain text formatting syntax. Created by John Gruber in 2004, it converts to HTML and is the standard for README files, documentation, and static site generators.

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Basic Syntax

# Heading, bold, *italic*, `code`, [link](url), ![image](url), - list item, > blockquote, --- horizontal rule.

GitHub Flavored Markdown

GFM adds tables, task lists (- [ ] todo), strikethrough (~~text~~), fenced code blocks with language tags, and autolinks.

Markdown vs HTML

Use Markdown for prose-heavy content that humans edit frequently. Use HTML when you need precise layout control, custom attributes, or complex nested structures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Markdown the same everywhere?

No. CommonMark is the standardized spec, but GitHub, GitLab, and various tools add extensions. GFM is widely used for developer documentation.

Can Markdown include HTML?

Most renderers allow inline HTML, but support varies. Prefer pure Markdown for portability.