axe-core is an automated accessibility testing engine and compliance auditor designed to scan web and mobile interfaces for violations of industry accessibility standards. It functions as a programmatic scanner and linter that analyzes HTML and source code to identify barriers and verify compliance with accessibility guidelines.
The project distinguishes itself by combining a DOM-based rule engine with computer vision and machine learning to detect complex violations that evade traditional analysis, such as visual heading discrepancies and informative images. It provides specialized capabilities for analyzing custom components, verifying text contrast via screenshots, and detecting missing focus indicators.
The system covers a broad range of capabilities including real-time accessibility linting in code editors, automated gating within CI/CD pipelines, and guided manual testing for non-experts. It also supports accessibility monitoring through centralized reporting, commit-linked result tracking, and programmatic integration with project management tools.
