Before querySelector, JavaScript provided several methods for selecting elements by ID, class, tag, or name.

// By ID (fastest)
document.getElementById('header');

// By class name (returns HTMLCollection)
document.getElementsByClassName('card');

// By tag name
document.getElementsByTagName('div');

// By name attribute
document.getElementsByName('email');

• getElementById() — fastest method for IDs
• Classic methods return live collections (except name)
• Modern querySelector is preferred for flexibility
• Classic methods are still valid for targeted use cases

• MDN: Document.getElementById