HEX:

Format: A 6-character hexadecimal code preceded by a hash (#). Each pair of characters represents the intensity of red, green, and blue components, ranging from 00 (minimum) to FF (maximum).
Example: #FFFFFF is pure white, #000000 is black, and #FF0000 is pure red.
Advantages: Compact, universally recognized, suitable for web design and digital applications.
Disadvantages: Limited to representing 256 shades per color channel, not as intuitive as other formats for humans.

RGB:

Format: Three comma-separated values representing the intensity of red, green, and blue components, each ranging from 0 (minimum) to 255 (maximum).
Example: rgb(255, 255, 255) is white, rgb(0, 0, 0) is black, and rgb(255, 0, 0) is pure red.
Advantages: More intuitive than HEX for humans, wider range of expressible colors compared to HEX.
Disadvantages: Can be verbose, less widely supported in older systems.

RGBA:

Format: An extension of RGB that includes an alpha channel value representing transparency, also ranging from 0 (fully transparent) to 255 (fully opaque).
Example: rgba(255, 255, 255, 1) is fully opaque white, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5) is 50% transparent white.
Advantages: Enables control over transparency, essential for layering and effects in design.
Disadvantages: Even more verbose than RGB, might not be supported by all systems.

HSL:

Format: Hue (0-360 degrees), Saturation (0-100%), and Lightness (0-100%), representing color based on its position on a color wheel, its intensity, and its brightness.
Example: hsl(0, 100%, 50%) is pure red, hsl(0, 0%, 0%) is black, and hsl(0, 100%, 100%) is white.
Advantages: More intuitive for humans to understand and manipulate color relationships, useful for creating color palettes and harmonies.
Disadvantages: Less common than RGB/HEX, might require conversion for use in specific applications.