Building Browser Extensions: Create Modern Extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge

The ultimate guide for building modern Chrome extensions.
Get the book's companion extension at buildingbrowserextensions.com

About the Book
Web developers today have plenty of experience with building regular web page apps, but a lot of that knowledge doesn't transfer over when it comes to creating browser extensions. This book provides a complete reference for how to build modern browser extensions.

Creating and deploying a browser extension is more like building a mobile app than a website. When you start building an extension you'll often find there are a large number of new concepts and idiosyncrasies to wrangle with. This book reveals how to successfully navigate around these obstacles and how to take advantage of the limited resources available.

You'll see how a browser extensions work, their component pieces, and how to build and deploy them. Additionally, you'll review all the tricky bits of extension development that most developers have to learn through trial and error. The current transition from manifest v2 to v3 is of special interest, and an entire chapter will be dedicated to this subject. By the end of this book, you will have a rich understanding of what browser extensions are, how they work, all the pitfalls to avoid, and the most efficient ways of building them.

You will:
  

Understand the best ways to build and deploy a modern browser extension

Learn wow to build a browser extension using modern web development tools

Fast-track your understanding of browser extensions

Build browser extensions using modern tooling and frameworks like Webpack and React

Understand the implications of the transition from manifest v2 to v3

Complete reference of browser extension APIs and features

Learn to build cross-browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge

Who This Book Is For
This book is for web developers who want to learn how to develop and deploy a modern browser extension. Developers familiar with modern JavaScript frameworks will be able to directly apply their knowledge to building a browser extension with frameworks like React or Vue. This book is also for individuals who wish to quickly roll out a browser extension prototype or side project; it covers a broad range of tools and platforms that can manage all the boilerplate and underlying APIs automatically.

Table of Contents
 

What Are Browser Extensions?

Fundamental Elements of Browser Extensions

Browser Extension Crash Course

Browser Extension Architecture

The Extension Manifest

Understanding the Implications of Manifest v3

Background Scripts

Popup and Options Pages

Content Scripts

Devtools Pages

Extension and Browser APIs

Permissions

Networking

Extension Development and Deployment

Cross-Browser Extensions

Tooling and Frameworks