<defs>

The <defs> tag is used in an SVG document to define elements that are not directly displayed, but can be reused within the SVG.

It is ideal for declaring definitions, such as:

• gradients;
• filters;
• or other graphical resources that you can apply later.

Structure and syntax of the <defs> tag

Structure

Here is a simple example:

<svg width="200" height="200" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
    <defs>
        <linearGradient id="myGradient" x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="1">
            <stop offset="0%" stop-color="blue" />
            <stop offset="100%" stop-color="red" />
        </linearGradient>
    </defs>
    <rect width="200" height="200" fill="url(#myGradient)" />
</svg>

In this example:

• The linear gradient is defined within <defs> with an id (#myGradient);
• It is then applied as a fill to the rectangle using fill="url(#myGradient)".

Try it yourself:

Example

Here is an example using multiple resources:

<svg width="300" height="300" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
    <defs>
        <pattern id="myPattern" width="10" height="10" patternUnits="userSpaceOnUse">
            <circle cx="5" cy="5" r="3" fill="blue" />
        </pattern>
       <filter id="blurFilter">
           <feGaussianBlur in="SourceGraphic" stdDeviation="3" />
        </filter>
    </defs>

    <rect width="300" height="100" fill="url(#myPattern)" />
    <circle cx="150" cy="150" r="50" fill="green" filter="url(#blurFilter)" />
</svg>

In this example:

• A pattern (pattern) is created to fill the rectangle with blue circles;
• A filter (filter) applies a blur to a green circle.

Here is the result:

Attributes

The <defs> tag does not have specific attributes, but it can contain any SVG element, such as:

• <linearGradient>
• <radialGradient>
• <pattern>
• <filter>
• <mask>

Best practices

Here are some tips for effectively using <defs>:

• Place all reusable definitions in <defs> to simplify your code;
• Use clear and meaningful ids for the elements defined;
• Combine <defs> with CSS attributes or transformations to efficiently reuse graphical resources.

Browser compatibility

The <defs> tag is supported by all modern browsers: