SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) for short, is an XML based format that describes graphics. This format may seem complicated enough to be confused with a full blown programming language for 2D graphics, but in truth it is just a markup language. While SVG may seem new to some web developers, the specification was first developed back in 1999.

The main difference between a vector graphic and a raster graphic (in other words, a bitmap) is the way that the graphic is described. In a bitmap, each pixel is essentially represented by three or four numbers, representing the color of that individual pixel (RGB), along with a possible opacity level. Looking at it from a broader sense, a bitmap is nothing more than a grid of pixels. Vectors, on the other hand, are described by a series of mathematical functions that describe lines, shapes, and colors, instead of each individual point on the entire image. To put it in simple terms, vector graphics do a fantastic job of scaling its dimensions, as...