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Does Figma Use HTML Canvas?

Last updated on September 28, 2022 @ 11:48 pm

Figma is a vector graphic design tool that is based on the web and has been gaining popularity lately due to its user-friendly interface and features. One of the main questions people have been asking is “Does Figma use HTML Canvas?”

The answer to this question is a bit complicated and depends on how you define “HTML Canvas”. To understand this, we first need to take a look at how Figma works.

Figma is built on top of the WebGL API which allows for hardware-accelerated graphics rendering in the browser. This means that when you’re using Figma, you’re actually using your computer’s GPU to render the graphics, which is why it’s so fast.

PRO TIP: Figma uses HTML Canvas to render vector graphics. This may cause issues with older browsers that do not support HTML Canvas.

Now, the HTML Canvas element is a part of the HTML5 specification and it allows for bitmap graphics drawing in the browser. So technically, yes, Figma does use HTML Canvas.

However, there’s a big difference between using the HTML Canvas element and using WebGL. With HTML Canvas, all of the graphics are drawn on the CPU, which can be quite slow. On the other hand, with WebGL, the graphics are drawn on the GPU, which is much faster.

So, while Figma does use HTML Canvas, it’s not really relying on it very much. The vast majority of the work is being done by the WebGL API, which is why Figma is so fast and smooth.

In conclusion, yes, Figma uses HTML Canvas but it’s not really what makes Figma so great. The real power behind Figma lies in its use of WebGL.

Morgan Bash

Morgan Bash

Technology enthusiast and Co-Founder of Women Coders SF.