Question 1

What is a Markdown viewer?

Accepted Answer

A Markdown viewer renders raw Markdown text into formatted HTML — converting syntax like # headings, **bold**, *italic*, and ```code blocks``` into their visual equivalents. It is used to preview how Markdown will look when published on GitHub, a blog, or a documentation site, without needing to deploy or push changes.

Question 2

What is the difference between Markdown and HTML?

Accepted Answer

Markdown is a simplified writing syntax designed to be human-readable in plain text. HTML is the actual markup language browsers use to render web pages. Markdown is typically converted to HTML before being displayed. For example, **text** in Markdown becomes text in HTML. Markdown is faster to write but less flexible than raw HTML.

Question 3

What is GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)?

Accepted Answer

GFM is an extension of standard Markdown created by GitHub. It adds tables (pipe-separated), task lists (- [x] done), strikethrough (~~text~~), fenced code blocks with syntax highlighting (```javascript), and automatic URL linking. GFM is now the most widely used Markdown flavour, supported by GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and most documentation tools.

Question 4

How do I add syntax highlighted code blocks in Markdown?

Accepted Answer

Use a fenced code block with the language name: ``` followed by the language identifier (e.g. javascript, python, bash, sql, yaml). The renderer applies syntax highlighting based on the language specified. For example, ```python on the first line and ``` on the last line creates a Python code block with colour-coded syntax.

Question 5

Can I use Markdown for tables?

Accepted Answer

Yes, using GitHub Flavored Markdown table syntax. Columns are separated by pipes (|) and the header row is separated from the body by a row of dashes. For example: | Name | Age | followed by | --- | --- | and then data rows. Alignment can be controlled by adding colons: | :left | center: | right: |.

Question 6

What platforms use Markdown?

Accepted Answer

Markdown is used across an enormous range of platforms: GitHub and GitLab (README and wiki files), static site generators (Hugo, Jekyll, Gatsby, Docusaurus), note-taking apps (Obsidian, Notion, Bear, Logseq), blogging platforms (Ghost, Hashnode, Dev.to), documentation services (GitBook, MkDocs, Read the Docs), and chat tools (Slack, Discord, Mattermost).

Markdown Viewer & Previewer

What is Markdown?

Markdown Syntax Reference

GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM)

Common Markdown Viewer Use Cases

Frequently Asked Questions

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