Seeking an Answer: Why can't HTML alone do includes?

a year ago

The article discusses the lack of a native HTML solution for including HTML fragments across multiple pages, a common need in web development.
Various workarounds exist (JavaScript, server-side includes, static site generators, etc.), but none are pure HTML.
Potential reasons for the absence include performance issues, security concerns, complexity with nested/circular includes, and historical HTML standardization decisions.
HTML imports were once proposed but deprecated due to lack of browser support and being tied to Web Components.
The discussion highlights the gap between developer needs and HTML's evolution, with many solutions relying on external tools or JavaScript.
HTMX is mentioned as a close-to-HTML solution for dynamic content inclusion.
Security and rendering challenges (CSP, CORS, meta tags, etc.) make native HTML includes complex to implement.
The article reflects on how HTML's standardization process may have hindered the adoption of such features.

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