--- name: charset description: "Use when reviewing templates, rendered HTML, or shared components related to Declare UTF-8 character encoding. Validate the final browser-facing markup, not just the source framework abstraction." metadata: category: html priority: critical difficulty: beginner estimatedTime: "5" source: frontendchecklist.io url: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/html/charset --- # Declare UTF-8 character encoding Missing or incorrect charset causes mojibake (garbled text), broken special characters, and security vulnerabilities from character encoding attacks. ## Quick Reference - Add `` as the first element in - Must appear within the first 1024 bytes of the document - UTF-8 supports all languages and special characters ## Check Verify that this HTML document declares UTF-8 character encoding in the head section and that it's positioned early in the document. ## Fix Add as the first meta tag in the head section of the HTML document. ## Explain Explain why UTF-8 character encoding is essential for international content support and preventing character display issues. ## Code Review Review templates, server-rendered HTML, and shared components that output markup related to Declare UTF-8 character encoding. Flag exact elements, attributes, and routes where the rendered HTML violates the rule. --- For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see `references/rule.md`. Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/html/charset