Render Tree

Noun · Development

Definitions

  1. The browser's internal representation that combines the DOM tree with computed CSS styles, containing only the visible elements (excluding display:none nodes and <head> contents) and their layout information. The render tree is what the browser actually paints to the screen.

    In plain English: The browser's internal map of everything it actually needs to draw on screen, combining the page structure with its styling information.

    Example: "Elements with display:none don't appear in the render tree at all, which is why they take up zero space — unlike visibility:hidden."

Related Terms