Scalable Vector Graphics is an XML-based format developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) as a vector graphics format to be used on the web (however, since its creation it is being used in other areas of computing). Vector graphics are made up of definite curves, lines, and points. These allow for images to be scaled without necessarily losing detail compared to traditional raster graphics, which become lose detail as they are scaled. This can also cause a variety of artifacts, such as pixelation.

There is currently no consensus on whether SVG creation software (such as Inkscape) should be used or whether the SVGs should be created manually using XML (i.e. using a text editor). As of this writing, the only hosted SVG compos have opted for manually created SVGs.