The WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group)
The WHATWG is a community of people interested in evolving the World Wide Web through the development of HTML and APIs needed for Web Applications. It was founded in 2004 by individuals from Apple, the Mozilla Foundation, and Opera Software. The group was formed in response to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and its direction toward XHTML, which the founders believed did not meet the needs of real-world Web Development.
The primary output of the WHATWG is the HTML Living Standard. Unlike previous versioned iterations of HTML, such as HTML4 or HTML5, the HTML Living Standard is continuously updated to reflect the current state of the web and browser implementation. This approach ensures that the Specification stays relevant and addresses bugs or new features in real-time. The WHATWG also maintains the DOM (Document Object Model), Fetch API, and URL Standard.
In 2019, a major memorandum of understanding was signed between the W3C and the WHATWG to collaborate on a single version of HTML and the DOM, effectively making the WHATWG the primary body for these standards. More information regarding their governance can be found on the official WHATWG FAQ and the HTML Specification repository.