Editing Browser engine (section)

==Name and scope==

Besides "browser [[software engine|engine]]", two other related terms are commonly used: "layout engine" and "rendering engine".<ref name=behindscene>{{cite web|url=http://taligarsiel.com/Projects/howbrowserswork1.htm|title=Behind the scenes of modern web browsers|publisher=Tali Garsiel|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="Gecko">{{cite web|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Mozilla/Gecko|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140604004321/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Gecko|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 June 2014|title=Gecko|publisher=Mozilla|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="Goanna">{{cite web |url = https://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8607|title=Introducing Goanna|publisher=M.C. Straver|date=22 June 2015|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref> In theory, [[layout (computing)|layout]] and [[wikt:rendering|rendering]] (or "painting") could be handled by different engines. In practice, however, these [[software component|components]] are tightly [[coupling (computer programming)|coupled]] and rarely encountered on their own outside of the browser engine.<ref name=behindscene/><ref name="howBlinkWorks"/>

In addition to layout and rendering, a browser engine enforces the [[Content Security Policy|security policy]] between documents, handles navigation through [[hyperlink]]s and data submitted through [[form (HTML)|form]]s, and implements the [[Document Object Model|document object model]] (DOM) exposed to [[scripting language|scripts]] associated with the document.<ref name=behindscene/><ref name="howBlinkWorks">{{cite web |title=How Blink Works |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aitSOucL0VHZa9Z2vbRJSyAIsAz24kX8LFByQ5xQnUg |access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref>

To provide a [[JavaScript#Examples of scripted behavior|wide range]] of dynamic behavior for [[web page]]s, every major browser supports [[JavaScript]]. However, JavaScript is [[Programming language implementation|implemented]] as a separate [[JavaScript engine]], which has enabled its usage [[JavaScript#Other usage|elsewhere]]. In a browser, the two engines are coordinated via the DOM and [[Web IDL]] bindings.<ref name="howBlinkWorks"/>

Browser engines are also used in non-browser [[Application software|applications]]. An [[email client]] needs one to display [[HTML email]]. Beginning in the 2010s, many apps have been created with [[Chromium (web browser)#Use in app frameworks|the frameworks]] based on [[Google]]'s [[Chromium (web browser)|Chromium]] project; each of these standalone apps functions much like a [[web application|web app]]. (Two examples are [[Spotify]] and [[Slack (software)|Slack]].)<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Source - Spotify |url=https://www.spotify.com/us/opensource/ |quote=Here are the sources to the great Chromium Embedded Framework that is used by the Spotify Desktop client. |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Betts |first1=Anaïs |title=Building Hybrid Applications with Electron |newspaper=Slack Engineering |date=25 October 2016 |url=https://slack.engineering/building-hybrid-applications-with-electron/ |publisher=Slack |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>