Simpl

Simpl is a free, open-source collection of simplest-possible HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code examples, published on simpl.info by Sam Dutton, a Google engineer.

What is Simpl?

Simpl is a GitHub repository and website that provides minimal, self-contained code examples for web development. Each example demonstrates one specific HTML, CSS, or JavaScript feature with the shortest working code possible. The project runs on GitHub Pages at simpl.info and is maintained by Sam Dutton, with contributions from the community.

Key Features

• Minimal examples — Every example is stripped down to the simplest possible code that demonstrates a single concept.
• Wide coverage — Examples span HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as listed in the repository topics.
• Open source — Released under the Apache License 2.0, with the repository publicly available on GitHub.
• Community contributions — A CONTRIBUTING.md file guides contributors on how to submit new examples.
• Developer's Guide — A Google Doc defines code style, structure, and validation rules for submissions.
• Continuous integration — Travis CI build badge indicates automated validation of the codebase.
• Web resources list — A curated collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript resources is linked via bit.ly/webdevres.
• Blog companion — The author's post "High performance HTML" complements the examples with guidance on writing clean, concise HTML.

Who is it for?

• Web developers — Use Simpl to quickly find a minimal working example of a specific API or technique to adapt into their own projects.
• Students and self-learners — Use the examples to understand how a feature works without wading through dense documentation.
• Educators — Use the examples as building blocks for lectures, assignments, or coding exercises.
• Technical writers — Use the code snippets as verified, minimal illustrations for tutorials.

What can you do with Simpl?

• Learners: Browse simpl.info to find a single-feature example, copy the code, and run it locally to see exactly how that feature behaves.
• Developers: Use the resource list at bit.ly/webdevres to discover additional learning materials for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Contributors: Read CONTRIBUTING.md and submit new examples that adhere to the project's code style and structure.
• Anyone: Read the "High performance HTML" blog post for advice on writing clean, concise markup.

Pricing

Simpl is free to use and open source under Apache License 2.0.

Alternatives

• MDN Web Docs, which provides much more comprehensive documentation and includes browser compatibility data.
• W3Schools, which is simpler but less community-driven and not focused on minimal examples specifically.

FAQ

Is Simpl free?

Yes, Simpl is completely free. The source code is published on GitHub under the Apache License 2.0, so you can use, modify, and share it with attribution.

What does Simpl do?

Simpl offers the simplest possible code examples for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Each example is a self-contained web page that demonstrates one feature, making it easy to understand and repurpose.

How can I contribute to Simpl?

You can contribute by reading CONTRIBUTING.md in the GitHub repository and submitting pull requests with new or improved examples. A Developer's Guide provides details on code style, structure, and validation.

Is Simpl a Google product?

No, Simpl is not a Google product, even though it is written by a Google engineer. It is an independent open-source project under the Apache License.

What license does Simpl use?

Simpl is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0, which permits free use, modification, and distribution with a notice file.