What file extension is typically used for CSS files?

The typical file extension used for CSS files is .css. This designation is significant because it specifically denotes files that contain Cascading Style Sheets, which are used to control the presentation and layout of web pages. CSS files allow web developers to separate content from design, enabling clearer organization and easier maintenance of web projects.

Using the .css extension is essential for browsers to correctly identify and apply the styles defined in the file when rendering HTML documents. When a stylesheet with a .css extension is linked to an HTML file, the browser knows to interpret the contents as styles to style the HTML elements accordingly.

The other file extensions listed are associated with different types of web technologies: .html files are for Hypertext Markup Language documents, .js refers to JavaScript files that contain code for client-side scripting, and .xml represents eXtensible Markup Language files primarily used for data representation and storage, not for styling web pages. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for web development and correctly managing the various resources that a web application or page needs.