Noopener is a link attribute that prevents newly opened pages from accessing the originating page's window object, protecting against security vulnerabilities and performance issues.
Security Vulnerability Prevention
Without noopener, malicious sites can manipulate your original page through window.opener JavaScript access after users click links.
Tabnabbing Attack Protection
Noopener blocks attackers from redirecting your original tab to phishing pages while users browse opened links.
Browser Performance Improvement
Links with noopener run in separate processes, preventing slow external sites from affecting your page's performance.
Target Blank Requirement
Modern browsers automatically apply noopener behavior to target="_blank" links, but explicit declaration ensures consistent protection.
JavaScript Context Isolation
This attribute severs the JavaScript connection between parent and child windows for complete process separation.
Universal Browser Support
All modern browsers support noopener, making it a standard best practice for external link security.
When should I use noopener attribute?
Add to all external links opening in new tabs, especially for untrusted or user-generated link destinations.
Does noopener affect SEO rankings?
No direct ranking impact, but it improves site security and performance which indirectly support user experience signals.
What's the correct noopener syntax?
Use < a href="url" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> or combine with noreferrer as rel="noopener noreferrer".
Is noopener different from noreferrer?
Yes, noreferrer also blocks referrer information while noopener only prevents window.opener access; both can be combined.
Noreferrer
A link attribute that prevents the browser from sending the referring page's URL to the destination site. Noreferrer provides privacy but also means the destination won't see referral traffic data in their analytics.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language — the standard language for structuring web page content. Clean, semantic HTML helps search engines parse page content, understand document structure, and extract relevant information for indexing.
Related Glossary Terms
Need help putting these concepts into practice? Digital Commerce Partners builds organic growth systems for ecommerce brands.
Learn how we work