The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle swimming competition, and hence freestyle is used metonymically for the front crawl. It is one of two long axis strokes, the other one being the backstroke. Unlike the backstroke, the breaststroke, and the butterfly stroke, the front crawl is not regulated by World Aquatics. Hence, in "freestyle" competitive swimming events, any stroke or combination of strokes is permissible. This style is sometimes referred to as the Australian crawl although this can sometimes refer to a more specific variant of front crawl.

The face-down swimming position allows for a good range of motion of the arm in the water, as compared to the backstroke, where the hands cannot be moved easily along the back of the spine. The above-water recovery of the stroke reduces drag, compared to the underwater recovery of breaststroke. The alternating arms also allow some rolling movement of the body for an easier recovery compared to, for example, butterfly. Finally, the alternating arm stroke makes for a relatively constant speed throughout the cycle.

The stroke which would later be refined into the modern front crawl was first seen in the modern Western world at an 1844 swimming race in London, where it was swum by Ojibwe swimmers Flying Gull and Tobacco. They had been invited by the British Swimming Society to give an exhibition at the swimming baths in High Holborn and race against each other for a silver medal to be presented by the society; Flying Gull won both races. English swimmer Harold Kenworthy, who was fresh, then used the breaststroke to take on the two tired Ojibwe in a third race and won easily. The breaststroke and then sidestroke continued to be favoured by British swimmers for the next 50 years.

Sometime around 1873, British swimmer John Arthur Trudgen learned the front crawl, depending on the account, either from indigenous people in South Africa or in South America. However, Trudgen applied the more common sidestroke (scissor) kick instead of the flutter kick used by the Native Americans. This hybrid stroke was called the Trudgen stroke. Because of its speed, this stroke quickly became popular.

This style was further improved by the Australian champion swimmer Richmond "Dick" Cavill (the son of swimming instructor Professor Richard "Frederick" Cavill) and by Alick Wickham, a young Solomon Islander living in Sydney who swam a version of the crawl stroke at Bronte Baths that was popular in his home island at Roviana lagoon. Their modifications to the Trudgen resulted in the stroke now known as the "Australian crawl".

The American swimmer Charles Daniels then made modifications to a six-beat kick, thereby creating the "American crawl".^{[citation needed]}

The front crawl is a very technical stroke that varies based on the swimmers physique, conditioning, and context. Possible context factors include: competition type, water conditions, and the swimmer's goal.

The starting position for front crawl is known as the "streamline" position. The swimmer starts on the stomach with both arms stretched out to the front and both legs extended to the back.