What is the purpose of HTML?

HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, serves the essential purpose of structuring content on the web. It provides the framework for web pages by allowing developers to define elements such as headings, paragraphs, links, images, and other content types. This structural aspect is critical because it organizes the information in a way that browsers can understand and render appropriately for users.

While styling, databases, and security are important aspects of web development, they are not the primary function of HTML. Styling is typically managed by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which is used in conjunction with HTML to enhance the visual presentation of web content. Creating databases is often handled by backend technologies and databases like MySQL, while securing web applications involves programming languages and frameworks that implement various security measures. Thus, focusing on the role of HTML as a structuring tool underscores its foundational role in the web development process.