Glossary Term: Base tag

Base tag

The base tag, represented by <base>, specifies the base URL for all relative links within the HTML code of a specific page or document.

The base tag must be within the <head> of the code. It doesn’t need a closing tag but does need an href or target attribute. If there’s a target attribute, it will be the default attribute for all hyperlinks within the HTML.

Here’s a syntax example: <base href="https://www.webflow.com">

The base element allows for a default target attribute for all links within the HTML page code.

Target attribute values include:

_self — opens the link in the current window
_blank — opens the link in a new window
_parent — opens the link in the parent window if using a frame. Otherwise, it uses the current window.
_top — opens the link in the topmost browsing content. If there’s no parent browser, it uses the current window.

Here’s another syntax example with target attributes:

This target attribute would open the link in a new, blank browser window or tab (depending on browser settings).

For more information about tags, visit Webflow University for lessons on HTML Tags, HTML structure, and an HTML overview.