What is the primary function of HTML?

The primary function of HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is to provide the basic structure for web pages. HTML serves as the foundation of web content, enabling the organization and layout of text, images, and other elements on a webpage. It allows developers to define various components, including headings, paragraphs, links, lists, and multimedia elements, using a set of markup tags. This structured format is essential for browsers to interpret and display the content correctly.

While there are other languages and tools that handle tasks such as database connections, server-side logic, and styling, HTML’s role is focused primarily on structure. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are utilized for presentation and styling, while programming languages like JavaScript or server-side languages (like PHP, Ruby, or Python) manage logic and interactivity with databases. Thus, HTML's fundamental purpose centers around creating the document structure upon which additional functionality and styling can be layered.