Free Markdown to HTML converter. Complete developer guide: syntax, GitHub Flavored Markdown, static site generators (Hugo, Jekyll, Next.js), code examples. Instant conversion.
Markdown to HTML Converter: Complete Developer Guide + Free Tool
Markdown has revolutionized how we write documentation, blog posts, and technical content. Its simple syntax makes writing easier, while HTML conversion enables publishing to the web. This guide covers everything you need to know about converting Markdown to HTML effectively.
Markdown offers several advantages over writing HTML directly:
Simple Syntax:
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
**Bold text** and *italic text*
- List item 1
- List item 2
[Link text](https://example.com)
Faster Writing: Focus on content, not markup
Version Control Friendly: Plain text files work perfectly with Git
Platform Independent: Works everywhere, from GitHub to Notion
Despite Markdown's benefits, you need HTML for:
Static site generators like Jekyll, Hugo, and Next.js convert Markdown to HTML:
# config.yml
markdown: kramdown
highlighter: rouge
Your about.md:
# About Us
We build **amazing** tools for developers.
Becomes about.html:
<h1>About Us</h1>
<p>We build <strong>amazing</strong> tools for developers.</p>
GitHub Pages, Read the Docs, and GitBook all convert Markdown to HTML:
README.md → HTML documentation
Example structure:
docs/
├── README.md
├── getting-started.md
├── api-reference.md
└── tutorials/
├── basic.md
└── advanced.md
Many CMS platforms accept Markdown but display HTML:
Convert Markdown to HTML for newsletter campaigns:
# Weekly Update
Hello **subscribers**!
Here's what's new:
- Feature A launched
- Bug fixes deployed
- New documentation added
[Read more](https://example.com/blog)
Becomes formatted HTML email with proper styling.
# H1
## H2
### H3
#### H4
##### H5
###### H6
Converts to:
<h1>H1</h1>
<h2>H2</h2>
<h3>H3</h3>
<!-- etc -->
**Bold text**
*Italic text*
~~Strikethrough~~
`Inline code`
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<strong>Bold text</strong>
<em>Italic text</em>
<del>Strikethrough</del>
<code>Inline code</code>
Unordered:
- Item 1
- Item 2
- Nested item
Ordered:
1. First
2. Second
3. Third
[Link text](https://example.com)
<a href="https://example.com">Link text</a>
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Alt text">
```javascript
function hello() {
console.log("Hello, world!");
}
```
<pre><code class="language-javascript">
function hello() {
console.log("Hello, world!");
}
</code></pre>
| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1 | Cell 2 |
| Cell 3 | Cell 4 |
Converts to proper HTML <table> elements.
> This is a quote
> spanning multiple lines
<blockquote>
<p>This is a quote spanning multiple lines</p>
</blockquote>
GitHub extends standard Markdown with:
Task Lists:
- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
Autolinked URLs:
https://github.com
Automatically becomes:
<a href="https://github.com">https://github.com</a>
Emoji Support:
:smile: :rocket: :heart:
Many parsers support additional features:
Footnotes:
Here's a sentence with a footnote[^1].
[^1]: This is the footnote content.
Definition Lists:
Term
: Definition of the term
Math Equations (with KaTeX):
$$
E = mc^2
$$
Use consistent heading levels:
# Main Title (only one per document)
## Section 1
### Subsection 1.1
## Section 2
Use reference-style links for better readability:
Check out [GitHub][gh] and [Stack Overflow][so].
[gh]: https://github.com
[so]: https://stackoverflow.com
Always include alt text for accessibility:
Specify language for syntax highlighting:
```python
def hello():
print("Hello, world!")
```
Our Markdown to HTML converter offers:
For developers integrating Markdown conversion:
JavaScript (marked.js):
import { marked } from 'marked';
const markdown = '# Hello\n\nThis is **markdown**.';
const html = marked(markdown);
Python (markdown):
import markdown
md = markdown.Markdown()
html = md.convert('# Hello\n\nThis is **markdown**.')
Ruby (kramdown):
require 'kramdown'
html = Kramdown::Document.new('# Hello').to_html
Webpack:
module.exports = {
module: {
rules: [
{
test: /\.md$/,
use: 'markdown-loader'
}
]
}
};
Vite:
import markdown from 'vite-plugin-markdown';
export default {
plugins: [markdown()]
};
Proper HTML heading structure improves SEO:
<h1>Page Title</h1>
<h2>Section</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>
<h2>Another Section</h2>
Markdown converts to semantic HTML5:
<strong> for bold (emphasis)<em> for italic (stress)<code> for inline code<pre> for code blocksAlt text in Markdown becomes HTML alt attributes:
Improves accessibility and SEO.
Issue: HTML entities not rendered correctly
Solution: Ensure proper encoding:
Use `<` for < and `>` for >
Issue: Single line breaks ignored
Solution: Use double line breaks or <br>:
Line 1
Line 2
Or:
Line 1<br>
Line 2
Issue: Raw HTML not rendered
Solution: Most parsers allow HTML:
<div class="custom">
This is **markdown** inside HTML.
</div>
Issue: Complex tables difficult in Markdown
Solution: Use HTML tables for complex layouts:
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Header</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Cell 1</td>
<td>Cell 2</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Apply Tailwind CSS to converted HTML:
<div class="prose prose-lg">
<!-- Converted Markdown HTML -->
</div>
Target Markdown-generated elements:
.markdown-content h1 {
font-size: 2.5rem;
font-weight: bold;
margin-bottom: 1rem;
}
.markdown-content code {
background: #f4f4f4;
padding: 2px 6px;
border-radius: 3px;
}
Use Prism.js or Highlight.js:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="prism.css">
<script src="prism.js"></script>
Sometimes you need to go the other way. Our tool also converts HTML back to Markdown:
HTML Input:
<h1>Title</h1>
<p>This is <strong>important</strong>.</p>
Markdown Output:
# Title
This is **important**.
Perfect for:
Automate Markdown to HTML conversion:
name: Build Docs
on: [push]
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v2
- name: Convert Markdown
run: |
npm install -g marked
marked README.md > index.html
- name: Deploy
uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
Generate HTML before commits:
#!/bin/bash
for file in *.md; do
marked "$file" > "${file%.md}.html"
done
Always sanitize HTML output to prevent XSS attacks:
import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';
const dirty = marked.parse(markdown);
const clean = DOMPurify.sanitize(dirty);
Don't re-render on every request:
const cache = new Map();
function getHTML(markdown) {
if (cache.has(markdown)) {
return cache.get(markdown);
}
const html = marked.parse(markdown);
cache.set(markdown, html);
return html;
}
Use YAML front matter for page metadata:
---
title: My Page
description: Page description
author: John Doe
---
# Page content here
Parse with gray-matter:
import matter from 'gray-matter';
const { data, content } = matter(markdownString);
console.log(data.title); // "My Page"
console.log(content); // Markdown without front matter
Q: What's the difference between Markdown and HTML?
A: Markdown is a lightweight markup language that's easy to read and write. HTML is the standard markup language for web pages. Markdown converts to HTML for web publishing.
Q: Can I convert HTML back to Markdown?
A: Yes! Use our HTML to Markdown converter or tools like Turndown to reverse the conversion.
Q: Does Markdown support custom HTML?
A: Yes, most Markdown parsers allow you to embed raw HTML. This gives you extra flexibility when Markdown syntax isn't enough.
Q: Which Markdown flavor should I use?
A: GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is most popular and widely supported. It adds tables, task lists, and strikethrough to standard Markdown.
Q: Is Markdown to HTML conversion free?
A: Yes! Our converter is completely free with no limits. Convert as many files as you need, instantly in your browser.
Markdown to HTML conversion is a fundamental skill for modern web development, technical writing, and content management. Whether you're building documentation, creating blog posts, or generating static sites, understanding this conversion process is essential.
Our free Markdown to HTML converter makes the process instant and effortless, with support for all major Markdown features and complete privacy.
Convert Markdown to HTML instantly → — No registration required, completely private, supports all Markdown features including GFM.
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