HTML attributes vs DOM properties
Attributes and properties are fundamentally different things. You can have an attribute and property of the same name set to different values. For example:
If you do the above in a framework's templating language, you're using attribute-like syntax, but under the hood it'll sometimes be setting the property instead, and when it does that differs from framework to framework. In some cases, it'll set a property and an attribute as a side-effect, but that isn't the framework's fault.
Most of the time, these distinctions don't matter. I think it's good that developers can have a long and happy career without caring about the differences between properties and attributes. But, if you need to dig down into the DOM at a lower level, it helps to know. Even if you feel you know the difference, maybe I'll touch on a couple of details you hadn't considered. So let's dig in…
So when you're looking at the elements panel in browser developer tools, you're only seeing attributes on elements, not properties.
