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Markdown becomes HTML through a parser-and-renderer pipeline, not by blindly replacing punctuation with tags. The processor first identifies block structure, then parses inline formatting, stores the result as tokens or an abstract syntax tree (AST), renders that structure as HTML, and may pass the output through platform-specific extensions, filters, or sanitization.
That pipeline explains why the same Markdown can produce different HTML on different sites. The dialect (such as CommonMark or GitHub Flavored Markdown), enabled extensions, parser version, renderer, and host processing all affect the result.
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What happens between Markdown and HTML?
Markdown is plain text with conventions for expressing document structure and inline formatting. A processor interprets those conventions and emits HTML elements that represent the meaning it found. For example, **Hello** normally becomes <strong>Hello</strong>. The asterisks are syntax instructions; they are not copied into the output.
The conversion is best understood as six connected stages:
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- Read and normalize the source.
- Parse block-level structure.
- Parse inline content inside eligible blocks.
- Build an intermediate representation such as tokens or an AST.
- Render that representation as HTML.
- Apply any host-specific extensions, filtering, or sanitization.
CommonMark describes documents as blocks such as paragraphs, headings, block quotes, lists, and code blocks. Paragraphs and headings can contain inline elements including text, links, images, emphasis, and code spans. Its specification emphasizes that block structure is resolved before inline structure.
Read the formal parsing rules in the CommonMark specification. The markdown-it architecture documentation shows a token-based implementation, while the cmark project documentation describes an AST-oriented implementation.
Stage 1: reading and normalizing the source
A processor starts with characters and lines, then applies the rules of its selected dialect and implementation. This stage can include handling line endings, indentation, delimiter characters, and other details that determine how later parsing behaves.
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Stage 2: parsing block structure
The block pass identifies the document’s large-scale structure before it examines formatting inside each block. Typical block types include:
- Headings, using atx markers such as
# Headingor another heading form supported by the dialect. - Paragraphs, formed from ordinary lines grouped according to blank-line and interruption rules.
- Block quotes, introduced with a greater-than marker.
- Ordered and unordered lists, introduced with list markers.
- Fenced or indented code blocks.
- Thematic breaks and other block constructs defined by the dialect.
CommonMark states: “Indicators of block structure always take precedence over indicators of inline structure.” In practice, that means a line that starts a list, quote, or code block is classified as that block even if characters inside the line could otherwise look like emphasis or code delimiters. A parser cannot reliably decide whether asterisks or backticks are inline formatting until it knows which block contains them.
For example, a line inside a fenced code block is treated as code text rather than as a heading or emphasis. Likewise, list markers establish list structure before the parser interprets the list item’s contents.
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Stage 3: parsing inline content
After block boundaries are known, the processor parses inline material within blocks that permit it. Inline constructs can include:
- Plain text.
- Emphasis and strong emphasis.
- Code spans delimited by backticks.
- Links and images.
- Hard and soft line breaks.
- Autolinks or strikethrough when the dialect enables them.
Inline parsing has its own precedence rules. Delimiters may open or close emphasis depending on their surrounding characters; brackets and parentheses can form links; backticks create code spans whose contents are handled differently from ordinary text.
Reference-style links illustrate why block and inline parsing are separate phases. A reference definition may appear in one part of the document and be used elsewhere. The processor must collect definitions while processing blocks, then resolve a reference when parsing inline content. Implementations can organize this internally in different ways, but the dependency means a single left-to-right punctuation substitution is insufficient.
Stage 4: tokens or an abstract syntax tree
Most serious processors create an intermediate representation between parsing and rendering. This representation preserves structure so the renderer does not have to rediscover meaning from raw characters.
Token streams
markdown-it documents a sequence of tokens, including nested inline tokens. A heading might be represented by an opening heading token, inline content, and a closing heading token. Lists, block quotes, and emphasis can similarly be represented by nested token sequences. Token streams are convenient when an application wants to inspect, transform, or selectively render elements before producing HTML.
Abstract syntax trees
cmark parses Markdown into an abstract syntax tree. In an AST, each node represents a structural element and contains child nodes where appropriate: a document contains blocks, a list contains list items, and an emphasis node contains its inline children. ASTs make tree transformations and alternate output formats natural because the structure is independent of HTML serialization.
Neither representation is inherently “the” Markdown model. A token stream and an AST can encode the same document while exposing different extension points. When choosing a library, verify whether it exposes tokens, an AST, only rendered output, or several of these.
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Stage 5: rendering the representation as HTML
The renderer walks the tokens or AST and maps each node to HTML. A paragraph becomes <p>...</p>; a heading becomes a heading element; list nodes become list containers and list-item elements; emphasis becomes an element such as <em>; and a code span becomes <code>.
Rendering is not always byte-for-byte identical across conforming implementations. A specification can define what structure means while leaving some serialization choices open, such as how certain line breaks, attributes, or optional wrappers are emitted. Two processors can therefore agree on the document’s meaning while producing slightly different HTML.
Renderer configuration also matters. A library may let you override heading rendering, add attributes, change link handling, or disable selected rules. Those hooks are implementation features, not universal Markdown behavior, and should be documented with the parser version and configuration used in production.
Stage 6: extensions and host processing
Many publishing systems do more than call a Markdown renderer. After conversion, a host may add extensions, rewrite links, apply classes, filter tags, sanitize attributes, or transform the HTML for its editor and display pipeline.
This final stage is a major reason that identical source text can look different across websites. A platform can enable a table extension, add task-list markup, remove unsafe attributes, or alter the output generated by the underlying parser. To reproduce output, record the dialect, parser and version, enabled extensions, renderer settings, and host-side processing.
Why Markdown output differs across implementations
“Markdown” describes a family of related syntaxes and implementations rather than one universally identical grammar. CommonMark is a formalized specification intended to define parsing behavior. GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) is based on CommonMark and adds extensions such as tables, task list items, strikethrough, and additional autolinks. The published GFM specification identifies version 0.29-gfm, dated 2019-04-06.
| Source or implementation | What it establishes | Why it affects HTML |
|---|---|---|
| CommonMark | Formal block and inline parsing behavior, including block precedence | Defines how ambiguous source is interpreted before rendering |
| GFM | CommonMark-based syntax with tables, task lists, strikethrough, and additional autolinks | Extensions can create elements or attributes unavailable in a CommonMark-only parser |
| markdown-it | Configurable named rules and nested token output | Enabled or disabled rules and renderer options change the generated HTML |
| cmark | Parsing into an abstract syntax tree | AST structure can be rendered or transformed by downstream code |
A document that uses GFM tables will not necessarily render as a table in a CommonMark-only processor. A parser that disables strikethrough or autolinks will likewise treat that syntax as ordinary text or another construct. Version changes can alter edge-case behavior, so lock the version when reproducible output matters.
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Consult the GitHub Flavored Markdown specification for the documented GFM rules and extensions. The specification is a syntax reference, not a guarantee that every host emits identical HTML; host-level processing can still differ.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A worked example of the pipeline
Consider this source:
# Project notes
- **Status:** ready
- See [the guide][guide]
[guide]: https://example.com/guideThe block pass identifies a level-one heading, followed by an unordered list and two list items. It also records the reference definition for guide. The inline pass then recognizes strong emphasis around “Status,” resolves the reference link, and parses the remaining text.
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An implementation might represent the result as a heading node followed by a list node containing list-item nodes. A token-based implementation could instead emit opening and closing tokens around each structure. The renderer then emits HTML with a heading element, an unordered-list container, list-item elements, a strong-emphasis element, and an anchor whose href is the reference destination.
The exact whitespace, line-break handling, attribute order, and optional wrappers can vary by renderer even when all implementations agree on the document’s structure.
Raw HTML and security
Markdown conversion does not automatically make input safe. Some dialects allow raw HTML in the Markdown source. The GFM specification says raw HTML tags are rendered without escaping, while its tagfilter extension escapes the leading < for a listed set of tags. GitHub also documents additional post-processing and sanitization after GFM conversion.
That distinction is important: converting Markdown to HTML and making HTML safe for an application are separate operations. A renderer may faithfully output a raw tag, while the receiving site may later remove it or sanitize its attributes. Another renderer may apply different filtering, or none at all.
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How to choose and configure a converter
When evaluating a Markdown-to-HTML implementation, compare these concrete properties:
- Specification coverage: identify whether it targets CommonMark, GFM, another dialect, or a custom grammar.
- Extensions: list tables, task lists, strikethrough, autolinks, footnotes, or other features and confirm which are enabled by default.
- Raw HTML policy: determine whether tags are passed through, escaped, filtered, or sanitized, and at which stage.
- Intermediate representation: check whether the API exposes tokens, an AST, both, or only final HTML.
- Rendering controls: verify hooks for custom elements, attributes, link policies, and alternate output formats.
- Versioning: record the exact parser release and configuration so builds remain reproducible.
- Deployment boundary: document any CMS, editor, proxy, or host that modifies the rendered HTML after the parser runs.
Test the chosen configuration with representative fixtures rather than a single bold-text example. Include nested lists, block quotes containing lists, fenced code, reference links, malformed delimiters, raw HTML, and every extension your content authors are allowed to use. Compare the resulting structure and security behavior, not only visual appearance.
Diagnosing unexpected output
A heading, list, or code block is parsed incorrectly
Inspect blank lines, indentation, fence markers, and list-marker placement first. Block parsing has priority, so a small line-level change can move text into a different block before inline rules are considered.
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Emphasis or code spans do not match another site
Check the dialect, parser version, and delimiter rules. Then verify whether the other site applies extensions or post-processing after parsing. Matching the source text is not enough; the configurations must match.
A reference link remains literal
Confirm that the reference definition uses the syntax supported by the selected dialect and is available to the parser during its block and reference-collection phase. A CommonMark-only configuration may also differ from a GFM or extension-enabled configuration.
Raw HTML appears when you expected it to be removed
Determine whether you are looking at renderer output or sanitized host output. If the renderer allows raw HTML, add an explicit sanitization step appropriate for untrusted content rather than relying on accidental behavior from a particular platform.
The practical mental model
Think of Markdown as a compact source language and HTML as one possible serialized result. The parser assigns structure; the intermediate representation preserves that structure; the renderer chooses HTML syntax; and the host may modify the result for features or security. Once those responsibilities are separated, differences between sites become explainable instead of mysterious.
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