# The DOM

A browsers in-memory representation of the HTML document.

## What is the **DOM**?

The **DOM** is the Document Object Model. It is a 
representation of the HTML document that has been 
loaded into the browsers memory.

The DOM lives in the memory of the browser and can
be manipuated by JavaScript. You can access elements
of the DOM as follows.

```javascript
document.getElementById('firstNameBox');
```
Changes that are made to the DOM do NOT affect the 
original HTML from which the page was loaded.

Level: Apprentice · [More JavaScript terms at this level](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/subjects/javascript/apprentice)

Updated: October 16, 2026

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/the-dom