HTML <aside> Tag

The HTML <aside> tag is used to create the 'aside' element. This element represents content that is related to the surrounding content within an article or web page, but could still stand alone in its own right.

For example, the <aside> element could be used to present a "pull quote" from the main article. It could also be used to present information relevant to the main article, such as interesting facts, etc.

The <aside> tag was introduced in HTML 5.

Syntax

The <aside> tag is written as <aside></aside> with the aside content inserted between the start and end tags.

Like this:

Although the <aside> doesn't have any local attributes, you can use any of the global attributes and/or event content attributes (see template below).

Examples

Basic tag usage

You can place flow content (i.e. most elements that are allowed in the body of a document) inside an <aside> element (with the exception of the <main> element). The following example uses the <h1> and <p> elements inside the <aside>.

In this example, it is assumed that the aside is used in the context of an article that discusses the planet Mars (but it could just as easily be an article about planets in general, or even an article on measuring big things, etc). The aside offers some basic facts about Mars' size, mass, etc.

Pull-Quote from an Article

Here we use the <aside> to present a pull-quote from the main article.

Attributes

Attributes can be added to an HTML element to provide more information about how the element should appear or behave.

The <aside> element accepts the following attributes.

AttributeDescription
None 

Global Attributes

The following attributes are standard across all HTML elements. Therefore, you can use these attributes with the <aside> tag , as well as with all other HTML tags.

For a full explanation of these attributes, see HTML 5 global attributes.

Event Handlers

Event handler content attributes enable you to invoke a script from within your HTML. The script is invoked when a certain "event" occurs. Each event handler content attribute deals with a different event.

Most event handler content attributes can be used on all HTML elements, but some event handlers have specific rules around when they can be used and which elements they are applicable to.

For more detail, see HTML event handler content attributes.