Most of the visualizations created with D3 use the SVG element. SVG graphics are resolution independent, which means that they can be scaled without pixelation, and they are relatively easy to create with D3. The SVG elements are also part of the DOM tree and allow us to select and manipulate individual elements of the figures and to change their attributes, triggering an automatic update by the browser.

There are a significant number of users who don't use a browser with SVG support, and sometimes, we can't just forget them. In this chapter, we will examine alternatives that provide visualizations without using SVG. We will create a visualization using only the div elements, discuss libraries that provide SVG support for older browsers, and show an example of integrating D3 and the canvas element.