Html5 Canvas vs. SVG vs. div

html

responsive-design

performance

best-practices

byAlex Kataev·Nov 8, 2024

Choose Canvas for its raw pixel manipulation, ideal for high-performance drawing like gaming or dynamic visualizations:

<!-- Ever had a dream of painting pixels? Live it with Canvas -->
<canvas width="200" height="200"></canvas>

Pick SVG when you require scalable graphics with elaborate shapes, interactivity, and accessibility. Think icons or charts:

<!-- SVG: for when the circle has to be just perfect -->
<svg height="100" width="100">
  <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" stroke="black" stroke-width="3" fill="red" />
</svg>

Handle div tags for standard web layout and simpler styled elements using CSS:

<!-- A simple blue box wrapped in a div, no tricks here -->
<div style="width:200px; height:200px; background-color:blue;"></div>

Remember: Canvas = pixel power, SVG = precise shapes, div = ease of use.

Performance tips and best practices

Each technique shines under different circumstances:

Canvas

Speeds up scenes using off-screen rendering.
Partial redrawing through dirty rectangles yields efficient updates.

SVG

Applies hardware-accelerated transitions using CSS.
Remember: The fewer DOM elements, the better the performance!

Div

Reaps the benefits of responsive layout with CSS Grid, Flexbox.
Shapes simple effects by applying CSS box-shadow and border-radius.

Event handling: The good, the bad and the workaround

Interactivity greatly depends on how each tool handles events:

Canvas Events

Custom hit detection required for interactivity.
Each event needs a scan through all elements to find the target object.

SVG Events

Event listeners can be directly attached to SVG elements.
Standard CSS cursor styles provides user feedback.

Div Events

Efficient memory usage through event delegation.
Quick visual feedback with CSS :hover and :active states.

Mix ‘n’ Match: A step into hybrid techniques

Sometimes a combination of all three methods, gives the best results:

SVG for icons and animations on a webpage built with divs.
A Canvas layer orchestrating more complex, on-top visual effects over an SVG backdrop.
The power of WebGL with Canvas for 3D visualizations.

Responsive design: Adapting to various screen sizes

Ensuring responsiveness varies across the techniques:

SVG Responsiveness

Clear visuals at any zoom level due to their vector nature.
Irrespective of resolution - ideal for high-DPI displays!

Canvas Responsiveness

Requires redrawing on scaling, affecting performance.
Needs custom logic for managing aspect ratio and responsiveness.

Div Responsiveness

Different styles applied using media queries at various breakpoints.
Easier scalability with the use of vw/vh units.

Trade-offs: What to pick depending on your needs

Consider the following when choosing among Canvas, SVG, and div:

Use-cases

For real-time games, Canvas or WebGL ensures optimal performance.
Interactive data visualization? SVG should be your friend.
For traditional web layout and content? Go with div elements.

Performance

Canvas can draw faster, but suffers in interactivity due to its lack of built-in events.
SVG is quick with fewer elements, but more elements can slow it down. Browsers are working on it!
Divs are superior for standard web content but get inefficient for shaping complex interactive graphics.