Google developed WebP as a web image format intended to replace GIF, JPEG, and PNG in many online uses.
Google announced WebP on September 30, 2010, presenting it as an open format designed to reduce image file sizes while preserving visual quality. Its original compression technology was derived from VP8, the video codec that also helped form the basis of the WebM project. The format uses the RIFF container structure and the .webp filename extension.
WebP was initially associated with lossy compression, but later versions added lossless compression and support for transparency through an alpha channel. Animation support was added through the extended file format in 2011, allowing WebP to serve uses traditionally associated with animated GIFs while also supporting more colors and transparency.
The common mix-up is to treat WebP as only a GIF replacement. Google positioned it more broadly as a web alternative to several image formats. Today, WebP can handle static lossy and lossless images, transparency, and animation, though its compression and compatibility characteristics differ from those of GIF, JPEG, and PNG.