FrontendHaltBrowser internals·Intermediate·Conceptual·1 min read
How does a browser turn HTML and CSS into pixels?
Short interview answer
It parses HTML into the DOM and CSS into the CSSOM, computes styles, creates layout geometry, records paint operations, and composites layers into the final image. Modern engines pipeline and parallelize parts, so this is a useful model rather than one rigid implementation sequence.
Key takeaway
Explain the underlying mental model clearly, then support it with a concrete example and its trade-offs.