Document Object Model (DOM)

The document object model, or DOM, is the web browser's live, structured map of a page. Every heading, paragraph, and button is represented as a nested tree of objects that code can read and change.

When your HTML loads, the browser turns it into the DOM. From there, JavaScript can reach in and rearrange things, such as hide a menu, add a row to a table, or swap an image, all without reloading. It connects the static markup of the code to the interactive page a person actually uses.