Markdown is a lightweight markup language with plain-text formatting syntax designed for easy conversion to HTML and other formats. It was created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz in 2004 as a simpler alternative to HTML for writing formatted text documents.
One of the key features of Markdown is its simplicity and readability. Markdown documents are written using plain text with simple formatting conventions such as headers, lists, and emphasis markers. Markdown syntax is easy to learn and remember, making it popular among writers, bloggers, and developers.
Markdown supports features such as inline HTML, code blocks, and automatic conversion of URLs and email addresses, which provide flexibility and expressiveness in document creation. It also includes built-in support for extensions such as tables, footnotes, and definition lists, which extend the basic Markdown syntax.
Markdown documents can be converted to HTML, PDF, and other formats using tools such as Pandoc, Markdown.pl, and MultiMarkdown. Markdown is supported by many text editors and content management systems, and has extensive documentation and resources available for learning and development.