Web platform features explorer

📃 March 2016 release notes

Newly available

The following features are newly available:

  • Classes: Classes are an object-oriented syntax for JavaScript prototypes.
  • DOMParser: The DOMParser API parses XML or HTML source code from a string into a DOM Document.
  • <picture>: The <picture> element is used for art direction in responsive images, where a different image is displayed based on the <source> element.
  • unset: The unset keyword resets any CSS property, removing any values previously set by the author, user, or browser. Inherited properties (like color) reset to the parent element's computed value. Non-inherited properties (like display) reset to the specified initial value (inline).

New in Chrome

The following features are now available in Chrome:

  • Background sync: The background synchronization API registers a service worker callback to run only when the device is no longer offline. You can use this to let users continue using your app while offline and synchronize with a server after reconnecting.
  • Case-insensitive attribute selector: The i identifier in a CSS attribute selector matches attribute values case-insensitively in document languages like XML where attribute values are case-sensitive.
  • Custom properties: Custom properties are CSS properties prefixed with -- that set values you can reuse with the var() function. For example, you can set a --key-color property to reuse as border-color: var(--key-color). Also known as CSS variables.
  • Let and const: The let and const declarations define block-scoped variables.
  • MediaStream recording: The MediaRecorder API captures data generated by MediaStream or HTMLMediaElement objects for analysis, processing, or saving to disk. Also known as the Media Recording API.
  • Proxy and Reflect: The Proxy and Reflect JavaScript built-ins intercept and define custom behavior for fundamental language operations (such as property lookup, assignment, enumeration, or function invocation).
  • WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc1 WebGL extension: The WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc1 extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts adds the ETC1 compressed texture format to compressedTexImage2D() and compressedTexSubImage2D().

New in Chrome Android

The following features are now available in Chrome Android:

  • Background sync: The background synchronization API registers a service worker callback to run only when the device is no longer offline. You can use this to let users continue using your app while offline and synchronize with a server after reconnecting.
  • Case-insensitive attribute selector: The i identifier in a CSS attribute selector matches attribute values case-insensitively in document languages like XML where attribute values are case-sensitive.
  • Custom properties: Custom properties are CSS properties prefixed with -- that set values you can reuse with the var() function. For example, you can set a --key-color property to reuse as border-color: var(--key-color). Also known as CSS variables.
  • Let and const: The let and const declarations define block-scoped variables.
  • MediaStream recording: The MediaRecorder API captures data generated by MediaStream or HTMLMediaElement objects for analysis, processing, or saving to disk. Also known as the Media Recording API.
  • Proxy and Reflect: The Proxy and Reflect JavaScript built-ins intercept and define custom behavior for fundamental language operations (such as property lookup, assignment, enumeration, or function invocation).
  • WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc1 WebGL extension: The WEBGL_compressed_texture_etc1 extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts adds the ETC1 compressed texture format to compressedTexImage2D() and compressedTexSubImage2D().

New in Firefox

The following features are now available in Firefox:

  • Resource size: The decodedBodySize, encodedBodySize, and transferSize properties of the PerformanceResourceTiming API reports the size of resources loaded.

New in Firefox for Android

The following features are now available in Firefox for Android:

  • Resource size: The decodedBodySize, encodedBodySize, and transferSize properties of the PerformanceResourceTiming API reports the size of resources loaded.
  • Server-sent events: The EventSource API creates a connection to a server and listens to a stream of events sent by the server.

New in Safari

The following features are now available in Safari:

  • all: The all CSS property is a shorthand for all CSS properties, except for direction and unicode-bidi. It accepts only the keywords for explicit defaulting (such as initial and inherit), since they are the only values supported on all CSS properties.
  • Border images: The border-image CSS property draws an image around an element.
  • Custom properties: Custom properties are CSS properties prefixed with -- that set values you can reuse with the var() function. For example, you can set a --key-color property to reuse as border-color: var(--key-color). Also known as CSS variables.
  • EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic WebGL extension: The EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts adds anisotropic filtering (AF). AF improves the quality of mipmapped texture access when viewing a textured primitive at an oblique angle.
  • filter: The filter CSS property applies one or more graphic effects to an element. You can use filter functions, such as blur() and drop-shadow(), alone or combined to produce different effects.
  • font-feature-settings: The font-feature-settings CSS property sets low-level OpenType feature tags for a font. When possible, use font-variant instead.
  • font-variant-alternates: The font-variant-alternates CSS property, along with the @font-feature-values at-rule, chooses when to use a font's alternate glyphs.
  • font-variant-caps: The font-variant-caps CSS property sets whether text should be displayed in small caps, petite caps, or with capital letters designed for titles.
  • font-variant-east-asian: The font-variant-east-asian CSS property controls glyph substitution and sizing in East Asian text.
  • font-variant-ligatures: The font-variant-ligatures CSS property sets how characters can be visually combined for readability or stylistic reasons.
  • font-variant-numeric: The font-variant-numeric CSS property sets how numeric characters are displayed. For example, you can align columns of numbers or use zeroes that have a slash.
  • font-variant-position: The font-variant-position CSS property sets whether to use alternate glyphs for subscript and superscript text.
  • inverted-colors media query: The inverted-colors CSS media query sets styles based on whether the user has inverted all colors, such as with mobile accessibility settings.
  • revert: The revert CSS keyword resets any property to its previous default, provided by either the user or browser stylesheets. For example, setting display: revert on a <div> will likely result in display: block, the browser default style. This is often confused with initial.
  • WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WebGL extension: The WEBGL_debug_renderer_info extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts exposes information about the graphics driver for debugging purposes.
  • will-change: The will-change CSS property gives hints to the browser about expected changes to an element's scroll position, contents, or style. These hints allow browsers to optimize for upcoming style changes.

New in Safari on iOS

The following features are now available in Safari on iOS:

  • all: The all CSS property is a shorthand for all CSS properties, except for direction and unicode-bidi. It accepts only the keywords for explicit defaulting (such as initial and inherit), since they are the only values supported on all CSS properties.
  • Border images: The border-image CSS property draws an image around an element.
  • cross-fade(): The cross-fade() CSS function generates an image by mixing two images.
  • Custom properties: Custom properties are CSS properties prefixed with -- that set values you can reuse with the var() function. For example, you can set a --key-color property to reuse as border-color: var(--key-color). Also known as CSS variables.
  • EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic WebGL extension: The EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts adds anisotropic filtering (AF). AF improves the quality of mipmapped texture access when viewing a textured primitive at an oblique angle.
  • filter: The filter CSS property applies one or more graphic effects to an element. You can use filter functions, such as blur() and drop-shadow(), alone or combined to produce different effects.
  • font-feature-settings: The font-feature-settings CSS property sets low-level OpenType feature tags for a font. When possible, use font-variant instead.
  • font-variant-alternates: The font-variant-alternates CSS property, along with the @font-feature-values at-rule, chooses when to use a font's alternate glyphs.
  • font-variant-caps: The font-variant-caps CSS property sets whether text should be displayed in small caps, petite caps, or with capital letters designed for titles.
  • font-variant-east-asian: The font-variant-east-asian CSS property controls glyph substitution and sizing in East Asian text.
  • font-variant-ligatures: The font-variant-ligatures CSS property sets how characters can be visually combined for readability or stylistic reasons.
  • font-variant-numeric: The font-variant-numeric CSS property sets how numeric characters are displayed. For example, you can align columns of numbers or use zeroes that have a slash.
  • font-variant-position: The font-variant-position CSS property sets whether to use alternate glyphs for subscript and superscript text.
  • revert: The revert CSS keyword resets any property to its previous default, provided by either the user or browser stylesheets. For example, setting display: revert on a <div> will likely result in display: block, the browser default style. This is often confused with initial.
  • touch-action: The touch-action CSS property sets whether an element on a touch screen can be panned or pinched to zoom.
  • WEBGL_debug_renderer_info WebGL extension: The WEBGL_debug_renderer_info extension for WebGL 1.0 and 2.0 contexts exposes information about the graphics driver for debugging purposes.
  • will-change: The will-change CSS property gives hints to the browser about expected changes to an element's scroll position, contents, or style. These hints allow browsers to optimize for upcoming style changes.