Vertical Line |

The Vertical Line character (|) is a standard HTML entity defined in the HTML specification. In HTML source code, it can be written using the named entity reference |, the decimal numeric character reference |, or the hexadecimal numeric reference |. The character is assigned Unicode code point U+007C in the Universal Character Set.

The vertical line (pipe) is a versatile character used in programming for bitwise OR, logical OR, pipe operators (command chaining), and table formatting in markdown. In mathematics, it denotes absolute value, divisibility, and conditional probability. It is also used in formal grammar notation (BNF).

Technical character entities represent brackets, delimiters, and punctuation marks that frequently require escaping in HTML source code and programming contexts. Characters like curly braces, square brackets, pipes, and backslashes often carry special meaning in templating engines, regular expressions, or markup parsers, making their explicit HTML entity encoding important for preventing unintended interpretation by the browser or build tools.

When deciding how to encode the Vertical Line character in your HTML documents, the named entity | is generally the most readable choice for developers reviewing or maintaining source code. The decimal form | and hexadecimal form | are equally valid alternatives that work in contexts where named entities may not be supported, or when generating HTML output programmatically from server-side code. All three representations produce identical visual output in every modern web browser.

Use the vertical line entity in markdown table documentation (where literal pipes define columns), BNF grammar notation, and content explaining shell piping or programming operators. In most HTML contexts, the pipe character can be typed directly.