DEV CommunityFriday · May 15, 2026FREE

Building Simple Tabs with Vanilla JavaScript

javascripttutorialaccessibilityfrontend

The article provides a step-by-step guide to creating a tab system with plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The HTML structure uses a `<ul>` with `role="tablist"` and list items with `role="tab"` and `aria-selected` attributes for accessibility. The content panels are sibling `<div>` elements, with the active panel having a `show` class. CSS uses flexbox for the tab bar and hides panels by default, showing only the one with the `show` class. JavaScript adds click event listeners to tabs, toggling the `active` class on tabs and `show` class on corresponding panels. The solution is lightweight, requires no libraries, and is suitable for simple use cases. The author emphasizes accessibility and progressive enhancement.

// why it matters

Developers can build accessible, lightweight tab components without relying on heavy frameworks.

Sources

Primary · DEV Community
▸ Read original at dev.to