# Element “link” is missing one or more of the following attributes: “href”, “itemprop”, “property”, “rel”, “resource”.
> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/element-link-is-missing-one-or-more-of-the-following-attributes-href-itemprop-property-rel-resource
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
The `` element defines a relationship between the current document and an external resource. It's most often used in the `` to load stylesheets, declare icons, specify canonical URLs, or provide metadata. The HTML specification requires that at least one of `href`, `itemprop`, `property`, `rel`, or `resource` be present on any `` element. A bare `` tag with none of these attributes has no defined purpose and is therefore invalid.
This validation error typically occurs in a few scenarios:
- A `` element was added as a placeholder and never completed.
- Attributes were accidentally removed or misspelled during editing.
- A templating engine or build tool generated an incomplete `` tag.
- The `rel` attribute was omitted when only `href` was technically sufficient, but the developer intended to specify a relationship.
While browsers may silently ignore an empty `` element, leaving it in your markup creates clutter, signals incomplete code, and violates the HTML standard. Keeping your HTML valid ensures predictable behavior across browsers and assistive technologies.
### How to fix it
Check every `` element in your document and make sure it includes at least one of the required attributes. In practice, most `` elements should have both `rel` and `href`:
- **`rel`** — specifies the relationship (e.g., `stylesheet`, `icon`, `canonical`, `preconnect`).
- **`href`** — provides the URL of the linked resource.
- **`itemprop`** — used for microdata markup.
- **`property`** — used for RDFa or Open Graph metadata.
- **`resource`** — used in RDFa to identify a resource by URI.
If a `` element has no valid purpose, remove it entirely.
## Examples
### Invalid: `` with no required attributes
```html
```
The `type` attribute alone does not satisfy the requirement. The validator will flag this element.
### Invalid: `` with only `crossorigin`
```html
```
`crossorigin` is not one of the required attributes, so this is still invalid.
### Valid: stylesheet with `rel` and `href`
```html
```
### Valid: favicon with `rel` and `href`
```html
```
### Valid: preconnect hint
```html
```
### Valid: canonical URL
```html
```
### Valid: Open Graph metadata with `property`
```html
```
### Valid: microdata with `itemprop`
```html
```
### Full document example
```html
My Page
Hello, world!
```
Each `` element in this document has both a `rel` and an `href` attribute, making them valid and clearly communicating their purpose to browsers and validators.