HTML <base> is used to define the base URL of all relative URLs. This is done via the attribute href. The second attribute target defines where the respective reference targets are to be opened. The HTML <base> tag is always stored within the <head> element.

What is the HTML <base> tag?

The HTML tag <base> sets the base URL for all relative URLs on a website. It includes the two HTML attributes href and target.

The href attribute specifies the URL that should serve as the reference for all relative URLs, images, stylesheets and scripts in an HTML document. This base URL can itself be relative. The target attribute defines the name of the window where all linked targets should be opened. Additionally, the HTML <base> tag can specify how links in the current document should be opened.

The HTML <base> tag is always stored within the <head> element and should be used as early as possible in the code. If there are several <base> tags, only the first one is taken into account, and all others are ignored.

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What is the syntax of HTML <base>?

The basic syntax of HTML <base> is as follows:

<base href="URL" target="TARGET">
html

Examples of how <base> works

Storing the base URL

In the first example, we store the base URL https://www.example-website.com in the header area of a document using the HTML <base> tag:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML: base Tag example</title>
<base href="https://www.example-website.com" />
</head>
<body>
<p>
Here’s your website content.
</p>
</body>
</html>
html

Defining default destination for all URLs

In the next example, we’ll use the target attribute to specify where URLs should open when they are clicked:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML: base Tag example</title>
<base href="https://www.example-website.com" target="_self">
</head>
<body>
<p>
Here’s your website content.
</p>
</body>
</html>
html

Accessing a base URL with multiple relative links

In the third example, we use HTML <base> to create a base URL that is used as the start page by all relative links. This is what the code looks like:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>HTML: base Tag example</title>
<base href="https://www.example-website.com/">
</head>
<body >
<h2>Various subpages</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/first_subpage/index.htm">First Subpage</a></li>
<li><a href="/second_subpage/index.htm">Second Subpage</a></li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>
html
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What attributes does the HTML <base> tag support?

The <base> tag only supports the attributes href and target.

  • href: The base URL for all relative URLs on the page is determined via href. The value of this attribute is always specified in the form of a URL. In the examples above, this value is https://www.example-website.com.
  • target: The target attribute specifies which window a URL should be opened in. It can have the values _blank, _parent, _self and _top. _blank opens the link in a new window, _parent opens the link in a higher-level frame, _self opens the link in the same window and _top opens the link in the browser window, replacing the linking page instead of presenting it as a frame within the page.
Tip

In our Digital Guide, you can find more informative articles about HTML. Among other things, you’ll find a comprehensive beginners’ tutorial as well as an overview of the best HTML editors.

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