MDN 2024 content projects

MDN Web Docs provides accurate and accessible resources for people getting started building for the web right through to professional developers. Our commitment includes maintenance of long-existing content and documenting features that are brand new to the web platform.

In 2024, the MDN content team chose some content areas to audit and update so they stay useful and relevant in an evolving web platform. We looked at topics that were popular but contained some outdated or incomplete material, and invested time in improvements, additions, and removing obsolete content.

This post recaps what we achieved in our content projects in 2024, highlights some of our top picks and recommended reading, and looks forward to what's next on MDN for 2025.

2024 MDN content areas

For 2024, we chose three technology categories that are popular, but had reader feedback that indicated they needed a refresh. We focused on HTTP, MathML, and web Manifests. From July to December 2024, the team worked through these areas to bring the quality up in a number of ways. Let's have a look at what changed in each section below.

MathML

MathML is an XML-based language for describing mathematical notation on the web. Similar to SVG, MathML can also be included in the HTML and rendered by the browser, no plugins or libraries are required.

<math display="block">
  <munderover>
    <mo>∑</mo>
    <mrow>
      <mi>n</mi>
      <mo>=</mo>
      <mn>1</mn>
    </mrow>
    <mrow>
      <mo>+</mo>
      <mn>∞</mn>
    </mrow>
  </munderover>
</math>

Unlike the MathML Core specification, which often groups elements, MDN now features each MathML element on its page, with examples, usage notes, and BCD (browser-compat-data) now also updated. For example, you can read about <semantics>, <annotation> and <annotation-xml> elements and how they help to annotate MathML expressions.

Just like we're writing this blog post using Markdown instead of HTML, MathML is often generated by math processors using lightweight markup languages like LaTeX. To help content authors, all MathML examples now have annotations. For example, can be written as x^{2} + y in LaTeX:

<math>
  <semantics>
    <mrow>
      <msup>
        <mi>x</mi>
        <mn>2</mn>
      </msup>
      <mo>+</mo>
      <mi>y</mi>
    </mrow>
    <!-- Annotated with LaTeX, a lightweight markup language. -->
    <annotation encoding="application/x-tex">x^{2} + y</annotation>
  </semantics>
</math>

This will also allow us to start using LaTeX for MathML in the future, making it easier for content authors to write and maintain examples. To fully appreciate the difference, you can compare the full MathML source code of some bigger examples, such as Deriving the Quadratic Formula and Proving the Pythagorean theorem, with their LaTeX equivalents.

MathML documentation on MDN now features accessibility information for all elements. For example, using "