1/10/2026
3 min read

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It''s January 2026 and HTML keeps getting more powerful every year. Modern browsers (especially 2024–2025 releases) now support many features that dramatically reduce the amount of JavaScript we need to write for common UI patterns.
Here are the most practical and "wow" HTML-only (or almost-only) techniques that good teams are actively using in production in early 2026:
<button popovertarget="user-menu">Account</button>
<div popover id="user-menu" class="floating-menu">
<a href="/profile">Profile</a>
<a href="/settings">Settings</a>
<button popovertarget="user-menu" popovertargetaction="hide">Close</button>
</div>
2026 power moves:
<details name="faq-group">
<summary>Can I use this in 2026?</summary>
<p>Yes – 96%+ global coverage (Jan 2026)</p>
</details>
<details name="faq-group">
<summary>Is it only one open at a time?</summary>
<p>Yes – when they share the same name!</p>
</details>
<details name="faq-group">
<summary>What about multiple independent groups?</summary>
<p>Just use different name values 😎</p>
</details>
Modern combo-box / autocomplete without any library:
<input type="text" list="frameworks" placeholder="Pick a framework…" autocomplete="on">
<datalist id="frameworks">
<option value="React">React 19 / Next.js 15</option>
<option value="Vue">Vue 3.5 + Vapor Mode</option>
<option value="Svelte">Svelte 5 runes everywhere</option>
<option value="Solid">SolidStart 1.0</option>
<option value="Astro">Astro 5 islands</option>
<option value="Qwik">Qwik City resumability</option>
</datalist>
<dialog id="welcome">
<article>
<h2>Welcome to 2026! 🎉</h2>
<p>This dialog was opened with <code>showModal()</code></p>
<form method="dialog">
<button value="cancel">Cancel</button>
<button value="ok" autofocus>Got it!</button>
</form>
</article>
</dialog>
Current hot patterns:
@container (inline-size > 420px) {
.card-grid {
grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
}
}
@container style(--theme: dark) {
.card {
background: #1a1a1a;
color: #eee;
}
}
<div class="card" style="--theme: dark">
<!-- will use dark styles automatically -->
</div>
Quick comparison table – January 2026 adoption (rough estimate)
| Feature | Chrome/Edge | Firefox | Safari | Global % | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| popover attribute | 114+ | 126+ | 17.2+ | ~95–97% | ★★★★★ Use now |
<details name="…"> grouping |
120+ | 127+ | 17.4+ | ~94% | ★★★★☆ Very nice |
| Container style queries | 105+ | 110+ | 16+ | ~96% | ★★★★★ Production |
dialog + ::backdrop filter |
76+ | 98+ | 15.4+ | 97%+ | ★★★★☆ |
anchor positioning (position-anchor) |
125+ | — | — | ~70–75% | ★★☆☆☆ Wait 2026 H2 |
Which of these features surprised you the most? Which one are you planning to use in your next project? 🚀
Happy coding in 2026!
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