Native HTML Series Part 1: Building Accordions

Building Accordions with <details> and <summary> Welcome to the first post in a series where we explore native HTML features that can replace heavy JavaScript libraries. As front-end developers, we often reach for third-party packages to build common UI components. But modern browsers have evolved, and many of these interactive elements are now built right into the DOM. Today, we're starting simple: the accordion. Instead of writing custom state management and manually toggling ARIA attributes, we can use the native <details> and <summary> tags to build an accessible, functional accordion with zero JavaScript. The Bare Bones At its core, the <details> element represents a disclosure widget from which the user can retrieve additional information. The <summary> element acts as the clickable heading for that widget. Here is the absolute minimum HTML required: <details> <summary> Click to expand </summary> <p> Here is the hidden content! The browser handles the toggle state and accessibili