Firefox stands out as one of the few browsers that isn't powered by Google's Chromium rendering engine. While all major browsers must adhere to certain standards set by Google, Mozilla, and Apple in order for web pages to work properly across multiple platforms, Firefox and Chrome also share some useful resources when it comes to add-ons—making it easier for developers to create extensions on both systems.
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This week, Mozilla released Firefox 109 with added support for Google's Manifest V3 as the underlying protocol that powers extensions. Fortunately, though, they're not adopting one of its most controversial aspects: ad and content blockers still work properly in Firefox.
Manifest V3 was designed to make extensions more secure and easier to write, by providing fewer permissions and simpler APIs. Additionally, Manifest V3’s emphasis was on protecting user privacy. These are principles that Mozilla supports; however, Google’s implementation of Manifest V3 makes it harder for ad blockers to function properly – a convenient outcome for its interests. When Google introduced Manifest V3 in 2020, it affected both developers and users by limiting the number of rules a content blocker can use. There was some uproar over these changes, but fortunately Google relaxed some of the regulations and delayed its plan to remove Manifest V2 from browser .
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Mozilla has included the new Manifest V3 in its extensions, while keeping the existing robust method in place. Thanks to this feature, users can build more comprehensive block lists and create unique rules to stop intrusive or unnecessary page elements they don't want in Firefox.
Mozilla is adamant about using event pages instead of service workers for background activities, giving extensions a wider choice of APIs and web tools. In the long term, Firefox will remain compatible with other browsers, supporting service workers as well.
Mozilla has further improved Firefox 109 by adding a new extension button next to the address bar. This menu gives you an overview of all your installed extensions and their respective permissions on the website you are visiting, just like Chrome does .Additionally, users can easily pin favorites to the top bar for quick access or hide them if they don’t need to see them all the time. With Manifest V3 support and this handy feature, Mozilla is well on its way to providing convenience to users!
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Firefox for Android is limited to just a few select extensions by default, but luckily you now have the freedom to customize your add-on collection with whatever extension suits your needs. While it may take some effort on your part at first, having access to these unlimited options makes setting up Firefox more than worth it!
Information source: androidpolice.com
