Canvas API - MDN Web Docs

• Skip to main content
• Skip to search

Canvas API Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since ⁨July 2015⁩.

• Learn more
• See full compatibility
• Report feedback

The Canvas API provides a means for drawing graphics via JavaScript and the HTML <canvas> element. Among other things, it can be used for animation, game graphics, data visualization, photo manipulation, and real-time video processing.

The Canvas API largely focuses on 2D graphics. The WebGL API, which also uses the <canvas> element, draws hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics.

In this article

• Basic example
• Reference
• Guides and tutorials
• Libraries
• Specifications
• Browser compatibility
• See also

Basic example

This simple example draws a green rectangle onto a canvas.

HTML

html<canvas id="canvas"></canvas>

JavaScript

The Document.getElementById() method gets a reference to the HTML <canvas> element. Next, the HTMLCanvasElement.getContext() method gets that element's context—the thing onto which the drawing will be rendered.

The actual drawing is done using the CanvasRenderingContext2D interface. The fillStyle property makes the rectangle green. The fillRect() method places its top-left corner at (10, 10), and gives it a size of 150 units wide by 100 tall.

jsconst canvas = document.getElementById("canvas"); const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d"); ctx.fillStyle = "green"; ctx.fillRect(10, 10, 150, 100);

Result

Reference

• HTMLCanvasElement
• CanvasRenderingContext2D
• CanvasGradient
• CanvasPattern
• ImageBitmap
• ImageData
• TextMetrics
• OffscreenCanvas
• Path2D Experimental
• ImageBitmapRenderingContext Experimental

Note: The interfaces related to the WebGLRenderingContext are referenced under WebGL.

Note: OffscreenCanvas is also available in web workers.

CanvasCaptureMediaStreamTrack is a related interface.

Guides and tutorials

Canvas tutorial

A comprehensive tutorial covering both the basic usage of the Canvas API and its advanced features.

HTML5 Canvas Deep Dive

A hands-on, book-length introduction to the Canvas API and WebGL.

Canvas Handbook

A handy reference for the Canvas API.

Manipulating video using canvas

Combining <video> and <canvas> to manipulate video data in real time.

Libraries

The Canvas API is extremely powerful, but not always simple to use. The libraries listed below can make the creation of canvas-based projects faster and easier.

• EaselJS is an open-source canvas library that makes creating games, generative art, and other highly graphical experiences easy.
• Fabric.js is an open-source canvas library with SVG parsing capabilities.
• heatmap.js is an open-source library for creating canvas-based data heat maps.
• JavaScript InfoVis Toolkit creates interactive data visualizations.
• Konva.js is a 2D canvas library for desktop and mobile applications.
• p5.js has a full set of canvas drawing functionality for artists, designers, educators, and beginners.
• Phaser is a fast, free and fun open source framework for Canvas and WebGL powered browser games.
• Pts.js is a library for creative coding and visualization in canvas and SVG.
• Rekapi is an animation key-framing API for Canvas.
• Scrawl-canvas is an open-source JavaScript library for creating and manipulating 2D canvas elements.
• The ZIM framework provides conveniences, components, and controls for coding creativity on the canvas — includes accessibility and hundreds of colorful tutorials.
• Sprig is a beginner-friendly, open-source, tile-based game development library that uses Canvas.

Note: See the WebGL API for 2D and 3D libraries that use WebGL.

Specifications

Specification
HTML# the-canvas-element

Browser compatibility

See also

• WebGL

Help improve MDN

Was this page helpful to you? Yes No Learn how to contribute

This page was last modified on ⁨Jul 17, 2025⁩ by MDN contributors.

View this page on GitHub • Report a problem with this content Filter sidebar

1. Canvas API
2. Guides
   1. Manipulating video using canvas
3. Tutorial
   1. Canvas tutorial
   2. Basic usage of canvas
   3. Drawing shapes with canvas
   4. Applying styles and colors
   5. Drawing text
   6. Using images
   7. Transformations
   8. Compositing and clipping
   9. Basic animations
   10. Advanced animations
   11. Pixel manipulation with canvas
   12. Optimizing canvas
   13. Finale
4. Interfaces
   1. CanvasGradient
   2. CanvasPattern
   3. CanvasRenderingContext2D
   4. HTMLCanvasElement
   5. ImageBitmap
   6. ImageBitmapRenderingContext
   7. ImageData
   8. OffscreenCanvas
   9. OffscreenCanvasRenderingContext2D
   10. Path2D
   11. TextMetrics
5. Methods
   1. Window.createImageBitmap()
   2. WorkerGlobalScope.createImageBitmap()