Browser extensions can be difficult to develop and maintain, especially for extensions that want to support more than one browser. Firefox, Edge, Oper

Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla are working together on browser extensions

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2021-06-04 21:00:07

Browser extensions can be difficult to develop and maintain, especially for extensions that want to support more than one browser. Firefox, Edge, Opera, and others have based their extension APIs on Chrome’s, but each browser adds their own changes and don’t always implement Google’s new APIs. Thankfully, all the major browser vendors have now agreed to form the WebExtensions Community Group, which aims to standardize APIs and functionality across all browsers.

“We’re excited to announce the launch of the WebExtensions Community Group (WECG),” the W3C announced in a blog post today. “Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla are initiating this community group, and we welcome other browser makers, extension developers, and interested parties to join this effort!”

The group is aiming for extension development to become easier, by establishing a common core of functionality, APIs, and permissions. The standardization process will follow the same pattern as the development of web standards (which generally works well), but it won’t force browsers to disregard exclusive functionality or APIs. “Each browser vendor will continue to operate their extension store fully independently, with their own technical, review, and editorial policies,” the post said.

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