---
title: Event
slug: Web/API/Event
translation_of: Web/API/Event
---
<p>{{APIRef("DOM")}}</p>

<p>The <code><strong>Event</strong></code> interface represents any event of the DOM. It contains common properties and methods to any event.</p>

<p>A lot of other interfaces inherits, directly or not, from this base interface:</p>

<div class="index">
<ul>
 <li>{{domxref("AnimationEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("AudioProcessingEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("BeforeInputEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("BeforeUnloadEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("BlobEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("ClipboardEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("CloseEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("CompositionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("CSSFontFaceLoadEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("CustomEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DeviceLightEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DeviceMotionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DeviceOrientationEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DeviceProximityEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DOMTransactionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("DragEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("EditingBeforeInputEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("ErrorEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("FocusEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("GamepadEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("HashChangeEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("IDBVersionChangeEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("InputEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("KeyboardEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("MediaStreamEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("MessageEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("MouseEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("MutationEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("OfflineAudioCompletionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("PageTransitionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("PointerEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("PopStateEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("ProgressEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("RelatedEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("RTCDataChannelEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("RTCIdentityErrorEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("RTCIdentityEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("RTCPeerConnectionIceEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("SensorEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("StorageEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("SVGEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("SVGZoomEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("TimeEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("TouchEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("TrackEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("TransitionEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("UIEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("UserProximityEvent")}}</li>
 <li>{{domxref("WheelEvent")}}</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h2 id="Properties" name="Properties">Constructor</h2>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.Event", "Event()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Creates an <code>Event</code> object.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Properties" name="Properties">Properties</h2>

<p><em>This interface doesn't inherit any property.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.bubbles")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A boolean indicating whether the event bubbles up through the DOM or not.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.cancelable")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A boolean indicating whether the event is cancelable.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.currentTarget")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A reference to the currently registered target for the event.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.defaultPrevented")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>Indicates whether or not {{domxref("event.preventDefault()")}} has been called on the event.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.eventPhase")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>Indicates which phase of the event flow is being processed.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.explicitOriginalTarget")}} {{non-standard_inline}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>The explicit original target of the event (Mozilla-specific).</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.originalTarget")}} {{non-standard_inline}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>The original target of the event, before any retargetings (Mozilla-specific).</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.target")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A reference to the target to which the event was originally dispatched.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.timeStamp")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>The time that the event was created.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.type")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>The name of the event (case-insensitive).</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.isTrusted")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>Indicates whether or not the event was initiated by the browser (after a user click for instance) or by a script (using an event creation method, like <a href="/en-US/docs/DOM/event.initEvent">event.initEvent</a>)</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Methods" name="Methods">Methods</h2>

<p><em>This interface doesn't inherit any method.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.initEvent()")}} {{deprecated_inline}}</dt>
 <dd>Initializes the value of an Event created. If the event has already being dispatched, this method does nothing.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.preventBubble()")}} {{non-standard_inline}} {{Obsolete_inline(24)}}</dt>
 <dd>Prevents the event from bubbling. Obsolete, use {{domxref("event.stopPropagation")}} instead.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.preventCapture()")}} {{non-standard_inline}} {{Obsolete_inline(24)}}</dt>
 <dd>Obsolete, use {{domxref("event.stopPropagation")}} instead.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.preventDefault()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Cancels the event (if it is cancelable).</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.stopImmediatePropagation()")}}</dt>
 <dd>For this particular event, no other listener will be called. Neither those attached on the same element, nor those attached on elements which will be traversed later (in capture phase, for instance)</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.stopPropagation()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Stops the propagation of events further along in the DOM.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("Event.getPreventDefault()")}} {{non-standard_inline}}</dt>
 <dd>?</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="See_also" name="See_also">See also</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Types of events available: <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Reference/Events">Event reference</a></li>
 <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Event/Comparison_of_Event_Targets">Comparison of Event Targets</a> (target vs currentTarget vs relatedTarget vs originalTarget)</li>
 <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/DOM/Events/Creating_and_triggering_events">Creating and triggering custom events</a></li>
 <li>For Firefox add-on developers:
  <ul>
   <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Listening_to_events_in_Firefox_extensions">Listening to events in Firefox extensions</a></li>
   <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Listening_to_events_on_all_tabs">Listening to events on all tabs</a></li>
  </ul>
 </li>
 <li><a class="link-https" href="https://wiki.mozilla.org/Events">Mozilla related events in real life at wiki.mozilla.org </a></li>
</ul>