Browsers Available
Warning: This feature is a work in progress and may be incomplete or subject to change. If you see an error or something that could be improved, please make a pull-request. The link that documents this feature can be found at the bottom of the page.
Extension.js provides support for a variety of browsers, enabling you to easily develop and test your extensions across multiple platforms, detecting browser binaries and launching the selected browser with your extension loaded. The plugin also supports custom profiles, browser preferences, flags, and more.
How Does It Work?
To launch your extension in a specific browser, Extension.js uses the browser's binary path to open a new instance with your extension loaded. For supported browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) you can specify the browser to use by passing the --browser flag with the desired browser name. For other browsers, you can specify the absolute path to the browser binary using the --chromium-binary or --gecko-binary flags, depending on the engine used by the browser.
Supported Browsers
The following browsers are officially supported by Extension.js:
| Browser | Usage |
|---|---|
| Chrome | npx extension dev --browser=chrome |
| Edge | npx extension dev --browser=edge |
| Firefox | npx extension dev --browser=firefox |
| Chromium-based | npx extension dev --chromium-binary=/path/to/chromium-based-browser |
| Gecko-based | npx extension dev --gecko-binary=/path/to/gecko-based-browser |
Any browser based on the Chromium engine (e.g., Brave or Opera) is supported with the same configuration options as Chrome.
Best Practices
- Use Custom Profiles: Keep separate profiles for each browser during development for isolated testing.
- Polyfill for Compatibility: Ensure your extension works across older browsers by using the
--polyfillflag. - Browser Flags: Use browser flags to enable or disable features for specific testing scenarios, like
--disable-extensionsfor clean testing environments.
Next Steps
- Customize your browser configuration using the
--browser-argsflag. - Learn more about unsupported browsers and how to run your extension on them.