Summary  
This chapter explains how to link an external CSS file to an HTML document using the <link> tag with rel="stylesheet" and href attributes to separate styling from markup.

General domain of usage  
Front-end web development

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You use the `<link>` tag in the `<head>` section of your HTML document to connect an external CSS file. The most important attributes for this tag are `rel` and `href`. The `rel` attribute describes the relationship between the HTML and the linked file, and should be set to `"stylesheet"` for CSS files. The `href` attribute specifies the path to your CSS file. Linking an external stylesheet allows you to keep your CSS rules in a separate file, making your HTML cleaner and your styles easier to maintain or reuse across multiple pages.

Which HTML tag is used to link an external CSS file to your HTML document?

Build a solid foundation in CSS and understand how styles shape the appearance of every webpage. Write and apply rules, target elements with selectors, and master the cascade and box model to create clean, organized designs. Gain the essential skills every web developer needs to style web content with precision and confidence.

Understand how CSS connects to HTML and defines the look of a webpage. Write clean, structured rules, manage multiple properties, and apply styles using external, internal, and inline methods for flexible control over your designs.

Target specific HTML elements with precision using selectors and combinators. Explore how the cascade, specificity, and inheritance determine which styles take effect when multiple rules overlap.

Apply visual styling that brings structure and balance to web layouts. Work confidently with colors, units, and the box model to control spacing, borders, and overall composition.

External CSS