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Difference between http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ and http://www.css-validator.org/ CSS validators?


I tried validating my CSS using both validators and they give different results! http://www.css-validator.org/ returns much more errors (245 in my case) than http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ (which returned 24 errors).
What is the difference between these to? Aren't they both under W3C?

Options I used for http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/:

  • Profile: CSS level 3
  • Medium: all
  • Warnings: all
  • Vendor extensions: default

I also tried changing Vendor extensions value, if I set it to Errors I get about 100 errors, if I set it to warnings I get same amount of errors as when default, which is 24.

Options I used for http://www.css-validator.org/:

  • Profile: CSS level 3
  • Medium: all
  • Warnings: all

Examples of errors not returned by css-validator.org but not by jigsaw.w3.org:

  • ".kill-flicker: Property backface-visibility doesn't exist : hidden hidden"
  • ": Unknown pseudo-element or pseudo-class ::-moz-focus-inner [-moz-focus-inner]"

Solution

  • http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ is hosted by the W3C. It’s the official CSS validator, linked from http://validator.w3.org/.

    http://www.css-validator.org/ is not hosted by the W3C (*). It’s misleading because they use the same branding (almost identical site copy, except for additional advertisement/Facebook widget).

    They may or may not use the same validator code, as the code is FLOSS.


    * as confirmed by a (back then) W3C staff member