![]() ![]() The futureĭeclarative Net Request's official description describes the API as follows: As an alternative, Google is providing the Declarative Net Request API. With Manifest V3, Google is proposing to limit this API in its blocking form. Google also claims that there are "significant performance costs" involved with the API as the blocking version of it requires a persistent and often long-running process which is fundamentally incompatible with 'lazy' processes. According to Google, 42% of malicious extensions have used the Web Request API since January 2018. So while content blockers like uBlock Origin wisely utilize the potential of this API, Google claims that other extensions with malicious intentions have abused the same to gain access to users' personal information. This particular change has inflamed the community as it ends up targeting the ad-blocking mechanism of the famous ad-blocking extension, uBlock Origin, and directly affects its 10 Million+ users.īefore we address this issue, let's take a look at how the webRequest API compares to declarativeNetRequest API.Īs Chrome hands over all the data in a network request, extensions which use the Web Request API have access to read and modify everything that a user does on the web. While there is a wide range of changes outlined in Manifest V3, the most controversial change relates to Google's decision to limit the blocking abilities present in the existing chrome.webRequest API (and focus the API around observation instead of blocking) and then present these blocking abilities through a new clarativeNetRequest API. Implementing an extension in Manifest V3 should theoretically provide stronger guarantees from the perspectives of security, privacy, and performance. In simpler terms, a new manifest version allows Chrome to restrict APIs and features to this new manifest version, in order to force extension developers to migrate away from certain older APIs due to their negative impact on the user experience. ![]() Restricting to a minimum version allows newer APIs or capabilities to only be available to newer extensions while restricting to a maximum manifest version allows older APIs or capabilities to be gradually deprecated. These restrictions can be in the form of either a minimum version or a maximum version. Since late last year, Google has been working on "Manifest V3," a set of proposed changes to the Chrome Extensions platform that can be classified as "breaking changes." As the public discussion document for Manifest V3 states, the extension manifest version is a mechanism for restricting certain capabilities to a certain class of extensions. These extensions are distributed mainly through the Chrome Web Store, which is home to more than 180,000 extensions. Extensions are small software programs that customize the browsing experience using the APIs that the browser provides, allowing users to tailor functionality and behavior to suit their individual needs and preferences. If you are an active Chrome user, you undoubtedly use a few extensions. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT What is Manifest V3? ![]()
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