What is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language for formatting plain text. Created by John Gruber in 2004, it uses simple syntax: # for headings, ** for bold, * for italic, - or * for lists, [text](url) for links. Markdown is widely used for README files, documentation (GitHub, GitLab), blogs, and note-taking. Flavors like GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) add tables, task lists, and syntax highlighting. Markdown converts to HTML for web display.