What is WebGL?
The short answer
WebGL is the browser technology that draws hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics inside a web page using the device's GPU, with no plugin.
WebGL, explained
Nearly every 3D website, from product viewers to explorable worlds, is WebGL underneath, usually through a library like Three.js.
It is powerful and heavy, so the best sites load a fast HTML page first and bring the 3D in after the first paint.
Questions people ask about WebGL
What is WebGL?
WebGL is the browser technology that draws hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics inside a web page using the device's GPU, with no plugin.
Can a 3D website still load fast?
Yes, if the page's text and layout render first as HTML and the 3D scene loads after, or on interaction.
Do 3D websites work on phones?
Modern phones run WebGL well; scenes should lower their resolution and effects on small or weak devices.
Related terms
WebGPU is the newer browser graphics and compute API that succeeds WebGL, giving web pages closer-to-native access to the GPU for faster 3D and parallel computing.
Three.jsThree.js is the most widely used JavaScript library for 3D on the web; it wraps WebGL with cameras, lights, materials and models so developers can build scenes quickly.
ShaderA shader is a small program that runs on the GPU for every pixel or vertex, calculating colour and shape; shaders create effects like liquid metal, glow, ripples and gradients.
3D websiteA 3D website uses real-time 3D graphics, like a rotating product, an explorable scene or a whole world, rendered live in the browser rather than as video.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.