InPage Tabs with Pure HTML and CSS

Another tutorial without JavaScript

While building AltCSS, I constantly ask myself: how far can we push the boundaries of HTML and CSS alone?

My previous implementation of a pure HTML dropdown menu was a fun one. But tabs? Do we really need JavaScript for all such basic UI components? Most solutions online toss in JS or complex frameworks and state management right away.

But what if we don’t?

In this post, I’ll show you how to build in-page tabs using just HTML and CSS. No JavaScript. No frameworks. Just clean, native HTML behavior enhanced with smart CSS.

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🚧 What We’ll Cover

• ✅ The core idea behind tabs using only HTML and CSS
• 🛠️ A minimal, working prototype (no Tailwind or extras)
• 🧠 Under-the-hood breakdown of how the CSS selectors make it all tick
• 🎨 A polished demo with improved styling

📌 The Core Idea

Tabs are just content toggles. You click a tab, and only the relevant section shows. What’s a HTML element that you can click to change its state? It’s the radio button; the heart of our solution.