GIF is classified as a bitmap image format, also called a raster image format.
A bitmap stores an image as a grid of individual pixels. Each GIF frame records pixel positions and assigns those pixels colors from a palette, normally containing no more than 256 entries. When displayed, the computer reconstructs the image by placing those colored pixels into the frame’s rectangular grid.
Vector formats work differently: they describe shapes, lines, curves, and text mathematically, so the artwork can be scaled without directly enlarging a fixed pixel grid. GIF does not natively store artwork as scalable geometric instructions, which is why enlarging a small GIF often produces visible blockiness.
GIF’s bitmap design helped make it practical for early online services and web browsers. It supports single images and multiple frames, allowing animation, but animation does not make it a video or vector format. Each frame is still bitmap data, with its own image dimensions and palette information.