Graceful degradation when JavaScript fails
type: TechArticle
description: Core content and primary navigation should keep working when JavaScript fails to load or throws — treat client-side scripts as an enhancement, not the delivery mechanism.
language: en
is part of: Web Specification Studio
author: Web Specification Studio
publisher: Web Specification Studio
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
date modified: 2026-06-08T20:15:00.000Z
citation: WHATWG HTML Standard — The noscript element
  type: CreativeWork
  publisher: WHATWG
citation: MDN — Progressive enhancement
  type: CreativeWork
  publisher: MDN
citation: MDN — Graceful degradation
  type: CreativeWork
  publisher: MDN
citation: MDN —
  type: CreativeWork
  publisher: MDN

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item list element: Home
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item list element: Spec
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item list element: Resilience
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  item: https://webspecification.com/spec/resilience/
item list element: Graceful degradation when JavaScript fails
  type: ListItem
  position: 4
  item: https://webspecification.com/spec/resilience/graceful-degradation/