What attribute is required for the <a> tag to work properly?

The <a> tag, which stands for "anchor," is primarily used for creating hyperlinks in HTML. For this tag to function correctly and provide a link to another resource (such as a webpage, file, or anchor within the same page), the href attribute is essential. This attribute specifies the URL or destination to which the link points. Without the href attribute, the anchor tag would not direct users to any specific target, rendering it ineffective as a link.

Other attributes such as src, target, and link can enhance the functionality of the <a> tag but are not required for it to operate correctly. For example, the target attribute can define how the link opens (in a new tab, iframe, etc.), but the absence of target will not prevent the link from functioning. Similarly, the src attribute is not applicable to the <a> tag and is typically used with other tags like <img> for specifying the source of an image. The link attribute is not a standard attribute for the <a> tag either. Hence, the href attribute is indeed the fundamental and required component for the <a> tag to work properly.