Development

HTML in Canvas: Is the Flash Era of Experimental Effects on the Web Coming Back?

Samuel Mork Bednarz

Samuel Mork Bednarz

I'm a Senior Frontend Engineer at Olavstoppen, currently contracted to Equinor. Prior to that, I contributed to IndyRIOT, helping create a Slack-style communication platform. In parallel with client work I contribute activley to open source. I’m the creator of Moonbow, a library for applying GLSL shaders to HTML images, and UmbraJS, a toolkit for highly dynamic theming. My work on a WebGPU related open source project was recently highlighted in WebGPU Experts - The Best of WebGPU in April 2024.

I also hold a Bachelor's degree in Graphics Design from Teesside University.

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The web may be on the edge of its next big rendering shift. Hidden behind a feature flag in experimental Chrome Canary is a new API that lets developers render HTML inside a canvas element.

This is a monumental shift that could make shaders far more practical and accessible for everyday web development. It has the potential to reshape how we think about interfaces, animation, performance, and creative experiences on the web. In some ways, it feels reminiscent of the Flash era, when the browser suddenly became a playground for richer and more expressive interactions.

In this talk, we explore:

What the new HTML in Canvas API actually is Why this could be a major shift for web development How it compares to traditional DOM and Canvas approaches New possibilities for animation, UI, and immersive experiences The limitations, risks, and open questions ahead

Is this the start of a new creative era for the web, or just an experimental curiosity?