Google Chrome Extensions (Labs)
This page describes how to package your extension. As the Overview explains, extensions are packaged as signed ZIP files with the file extension "crx" — for example, myextension.crx.
Note: You might not need to package your extension. If you publish your extension using the Chrome Developer Dashboard, then the only reason to create your own .crx file would be to distribute a non-public version — for example, to alpha testers.
When you package an extension, the extension is assigned a unique key pair. The public key is used as the identifier for the extension. The private key is kept private and used to sign each version of the extension.
Do not lose the private key! Keep the .pem file secret and in a safe place. You'll need it later if you want to do any of the following:
If the extension is successfully packaged, you'll see a dialog like this that tells you where to find the .crx and .pem files:
