HTML <header> Tag

The HTML <header> tag represents introductory content for its nearest ancestor sectioning content or sectioning root element.

Sectioning Content is content that defines the scope of headings and footers. The following elements are categorized as sectioning content: <article>, <aside>, <nav>, <section>

Sectioning Root elements can have their own outlines, but the sections and headings inside these elements do not contribute to the outlines of their ancestors. The following tags are categorized as sectioning roots (<blockquote>, <body>, <fieldset>, <figure>, <td>).

Headers can contain headings, subheadings, version information, search forms, logos, navigational controls, etc.

Syntax

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

Like this:

Examples

Basic Overview

Elements Inside the <header> Element

A <header> element will typically contain a heading for the section (although this isn't required). A <header> element could also contain navigation, search, logos, and other content.

Document Headings

In this example, the <header> element contains a heading for the whole document. The document contains three separate articles on the same topic.

Article Headings

In this example, the <header> element is contained within an <article> element. This means that the <header> element applies to the <article> element (and not necessarily the whole document).

Logo & Search Form

In this example, the <header> element contains a logo and a search form.

Attributes

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

The <header> 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 <header> 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.