Remove inline XSLT for production of SVG

concepts

1. XSLT SVG Demo

   Demonstrates what the removed behaviour looked like — XML with an XSLT processing instruction that produced SVG — and the error Chrome now shows, compared to alternative SVG delivery methods that still work.

2. Migration Guide

   How to replace XSLT-to-SVG rendering: serve SVG directly, use XSLTProcessor in JavaScript, or transform server-side before sending to the browser.

3. SVG from DOMParser

   Live SVG editor using DOMParser.parseFromString(markup, 'image/svg+xml') — the recommended XSLT replacement for client-side SVG parsing. Five presets (circle, bar chart, star, text path, gradient) plus parse timing and error reporting.

4. XSLT to JS Converter

   Paste an XSLT stylesheet that produces SVG and the tool generates equivalent JavaScript using DOMParser/DOMImplementation. Three built-in presets, a "Test original XSLT" button that shows whether it still works in your browser, and a "Run JS equivalent" button that demonstrates the migrated code.

5. Compatibility Lab

   Detects XSLTProcessor (still available for JS-driven transforms), DOMParser with image/svg+xml support, and inline SVG rendering. Runs a live DOMParser.parseFromString() SVG round-trip to confirm the recommended migration path works in this browser.

why it shipped

XSLT (XSL Transformations) in browsers is a legacy feature that was supported primarily for compatibility with older XML-centric workflows. Inline XSLT that produces SVG was a niche use case (XML served with an <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl"> processing instruction pointing to an XSLT that generated SVG). Chrome's XSLT implementation has ongoing security concerns, and this specific code path — inline XSLT → SVG rendering — was particularly complex and rarely used. Chrome 147 removes it as part of the ongoing simplification of the XSLT subsystem.

the change

<!-- BEFORE Chrome 147: this XML would render as SVG in the browser
     when served with Content-Type: application/xml -->
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="transform.xsl"?>
<data>...</data>

<!-- transform.xsl produced SVG — Chrome 147 no longer renders this -->

<!-- INSTEAD: serve SVG directly -->
<!-- Option 1: inline SVG in HTML (always worked, still works) -->
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100">
  <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40"/>
</svg>

<!-- Option 2: serve .svg files with Content-Type: image/svg+xml -->
<img src="diagram.svg" alt="Diagram">

<!-- Option 3: transform server-side, send the SVG result -->

references

• ChromeStatus entry
• MDN — XSLT
• MDN — XSLTProcessor
• MDN — SVG