# axe-core

JavaScript accessibility testing engine that checks websites and other HTML-based user interfaces inside automated tests.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/axe-core/
Last reviewed: 2026-11-04
Listed since: 2026-11-04

## Record

### Links

- home: https://www.deque.com/axe/
- repository: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core
- docs: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/blob/develop/doc/API.md
- bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/deque.com

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Deque Systems, Inc.
- maintainerType: company
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2015
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: testing
- hosting: not applicable
- language: javascript
- runtime: unknown
- runtimeMin: not applicable
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: not applicable
- headlessApi: not applicable
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: not applicable

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: local
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: npm

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: MPL-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 4
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-05

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 7748
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: 107980113
- contributors: 242
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 1185064
- dependentPackages: 1302

### Sources

- urls: https://www.deque.com/axe/ (read 2026-11-04)
- urls: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- urls: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/blob/develop/doc/API.md (read 2026-11-04)
- firstRelease: https://registry.npmjs.org/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- maintainer: https://www.deque.com/axe/ (read 2026-11-04)
- maintainerType: https://www.deque.com/axe/ (read 2026-11-04)
- category: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dequelabs/axe-core/develop/README.md (read 2026-11-04)
- language: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- runsAs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dequelabs/axe-core/develop/README.md (read 2026-11-04)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dequelabs/axe-core/develop/README.md (read 2026-11-04)
- installMethod: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dequelabs/axe-core/develop/README.md (read 2026-11-04)
- license: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- license: https://registry.npmjs.org/axe-core/latest (read 2026-11-04)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dequelabs/axe-core/develop/README.md (read 2026-11-04)
- currentMajor: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/releases/tag/v4.14.0 (read 2026-11-04)
- latestReleaseDate: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/releases/tag/v4.14.0 (read 2026-11-04)
- npmWeeklyDownloads: https://api.npmjs.org/downloads/range/2026-10-26:2026-11-01/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- githubStargazers: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- contributors: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/graphs/contributors (read 2026-11-04)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/axe-core (read 2026-11-04)

## Notes

axe-core is a JavaScript accessibility testing engine. Its rules cover the WCAG criteria at levels A, AA and AAA, plus best-practice checks, and the rule list is in the project's repository. A test includes the axe-core script in its fixtures or test system, and the engine reports violations and elements it could not decide. The [API reference](https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core/blob/develop/doc/API.md) describes the options and result types. The package installs from npm or pnpm as a development dependency.

## Worth knowing

The README describes axe-core as built to integrate with existing test environments, and its install routes are development dependencies.

The Deque product page offers commercial tools built around the engine, such as a site-wide monitoring product and a manual auditing product. They are separate products from the open-source package.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0