What is an Active Hyperlink?
An active hyperlink is a link on a web page that is currently being interacted with—typically clicked, tapped, or selected by the user. It is one of the hyperlink states defined in web development and browser behavior.
Common Hyperlink States
Hyperlinks on websites typically have different visual styles depending on their state:
| State | Description |
|---|---|
| Normal (unvisited) | The default state of a link before the user clicks on it. |
| Visited | A link that the user has already clicked and visited. |
| Hover | When the user places their mouse pointer over the link. |
| Active | When the link is being clicked or is in the process of being activated. |
| Focus | When a link is selected using the keyboard, such as by pressing the Tab key. |
How Is an Active Hyperlink Shown?
Browsers and websites often show an active hyperlink using CSS styles. For example, the link might change color briefly while it is being clicked:
a:active {
color: red;
text-decoration: underline;
}
This CSS rule changes the hyperlink’s color to red while it is being clicked.
Technical Detail
In HTML and CSS, the :active pseudo-class is used to define the style of an element while it is being activated by the user. This pseudo-class applies not only to anchor (<a>) elements, but also to buttons and other interactive elements.
