name: W3C Vocabulary description: >- Domain vocabulary for the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) covering web standards terminology, standards process concepts, specification maturity levels, and key W3C technical specifications. version: '1.0.0' created: '2026-05-03' modified: '2026-05-03' tags: - Accessibility - Standards - Web - Web Standards process: - term: W3C Recommendation (REC) definition: >- The highest maturity level in the W3C standards process. A W3C Recommendation has been endorsed by the W3C Director and the W3C membership and is a stable, formal W3C standard. All browsers and implementors are expected to implement W3C Recommendations. related: - Candidate Recommendation - Working Group - term: Working Draft (WD) definition: >- A document published by a W3C Working Group for review by the community. Working Drafts are work in progress and may change substantially. The First Public Working Draft (FPWD) marks a specification's official publication journey. related: - Working Group - Candidate Recommendation - term: Candidate Recommendation (CR) definition: >- A technically mature W3C specification that the Working Group believes is complete and ready for implementation. CR status calls for implementations to provide feedback. A Candidate Recommendation Draft (CRD) is an updated snapshot. related: - Working Draft - Proposed Recommendation - term: Proposed Recommendation (PR) definition: >- A W3C specification that has met all Candidate Recommendation requirements, has two or more interoperable implementations, and is awaiting endorsement by the W3C Advisory Committee. related: - Candidate Recommendation - W3C Recommendation - term: Working Group definition: >- A group of W3C member representatives and invited experts chartered to produce one or more W3C deliverables (typically Recommendations). Working Groups operate under the W3C Process Document and have a specific scope and charter. related: - Community Group - Interest Group - term: Community Group definition: >- A W3C group that allows W3C members and non-members to collaborate on web specifications outside the formal W3C Process. Many successful web technologies began as Community Group work before moving to a Working Group. related: - Working Group - term: TPAC definition: >- Technical Plenary and Advisory Committee Meetings Week. W3C's annual gathering where Working Groups, Interest Groups, and the Advisory Committee meet for cross-group coordination, joint meetings, and plenary discussions. related: - Advisory Committee - term: Advisory Committee (AC) definition: >- The W3C body consisting of one representative from each W3C member organization. The Advisory Committee reviews proposed changes to the W3C Process, reviews proposals for new Working Groups, and endorses Proposed Recommendations. related: - Working Group specifications: - term: HTML definition: >- HyperText Markup Language, the standard markup language for web pages. The current version is maintained as a living standard by WHATWG and published as a W3C Recommendation. related: - CSS - DOM - term: CSS definition: >- Cascading Style Sheets, the language used for describing the presentation of HTML documents. CSS is maintained by the W3C CSS Working Group as a family of modules (CSS Grid, Flexbox, Custom Properties, etc.). related: - HTML - term: WCAG definition: >- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The international standard for web accessibility, providing success criteria at levels A, AA, and AAA. WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C Recommendation; WCAG 3.0 is in development. related: - WAI-ARIA - Accessibility - term: WAI-ARIA definition: >- Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications. A W3C specification defining HTML attributes that improve accessibility for dynamic content and custom UI components. related: - WCAG - term: JSON-LD definition: >- JSON for Linking Data. A W3C Recommendation for encoding linked data using JSON, enabling semantic interoperability through @context declarations. related: - RDF - Linked Data - term: RDF definition: >- Resource Description Framework. A W3C standard for representing information as subject-predicate-object triples, forming the foundation of the semantic web. related: - SPARQL - JSON-LD - term: SPARQL definition: >- A W3C Recommendation for querying and updating RDF data using a SQL-like query language. SPARQL 1.2 is the current version, adding features like federated queries and property paths. related: - RDF - term: WebAssembly (Wasm) definition: >- A W3C Recommendation defining a binary instruction format for a stack-based virtual machine that runs in all modern browsers at near-native speed. related: - Web Platform - term: Verifiable Credentials (VC) definition: >- A W3C Recommendation for expressing cryptographically verifiable digital credentials. VC 2.0, published as a W3C Recommendation in 2025, enables privacy-preserving digital identity on the web. related: - Digital Credentials - Identity - term: Digital Credentials API definition: >- A W3C specification enabling browser-mediated presentation and issuance of digital identity credentials from digital wallets. Enables privacy-preserving identity verification on the web. related: - Verifiable Credentials accessibility: - term: Success Criterion definition: >- Testable statements in WCAG that define the requirements for content to be considered accessible at a given conformance level (A, AA, AAA). related: - WCAG - Conformance Level - term: Conformance Level definition: >- WCAG defines three conformance levels: Level A (minimum), Level AA (standard), and Level AAA (enhanced). Most regulations require Level AA conformance. related: - WCAG - Success Criterion - term: POUR Principles definition: >- The four core accessibility principles of WCAG: Perceivable (information must be presentable in ways users can perceive), Operable (UI components must be operable), Understandable (information must be understandable), and Robust (content must be robust enough for diverse assistive technologies). related: - WCAG