New
seeing https://github.com/uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues/wiki/About-Google-Chrome's-%22This-extension-may-soon-no-longer-be-supported%22

What are the diff between manifest 2 and manifest 3 ext?
Mar 19, 6:48pm

The transition from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3 for Chrome extensions has been a significant change, impacting how extensions are developed and function. Here are some key differences between the two:

  1. Background Scripts:

    • Manifest V2: Allows persistent background pages, which can consume more memory as they remain active even when not in use.
    • Manifest V3: Introduces service workers, which are event-driven and run only when needed, improving performance and reducing memory usage.

  2. Content Security Policy (CSP):

    • Manifest V2: Has a more lenient content security policy, allowing the use of unsafe-eval and inline scripts.
    • Manifest V3: Enforces a stricter CSP, disallowing unsafe-eval and inline scripts by default, enhancing security.

  3. Permissions:

    • Manifest V2: Extensions often request broad permissions, which can lead to security risks.
    • Manifest V3: Encourages more granular permissions, allowing extensions to request only the permissions they need, improving security and user trust.

  4. WebRequest API:

    • Manifest V2: Allows blocking web requests, which can be used for ad-blocking and other content-filtering purposes.
    • Manifest V3: Initially proposed to remove the blocking capability of the WebRequest API, causing controversy among developers, particularly those creating ad-blocking extensions. However, some blocking capabilities have been retained.

  5. Declarative Net Request API:

    • Manifest V3: Introduces the Declarative Net Request API as an alternative to the WebRequest API for handling network requests, aiming to improve performance and security.

  6. Host Permissions:

    • Manifest V3: Requires extensions to explicitly declare host permissions, specifying which sites they need access to, rather than requesting broad access.

  7. Background Tasks:

    • Manifest V3: Supports background tasks and alarms, allowing extensions to perform tasks at specified intervals without keeping the extension awake continuously.

  8. User Interface:

    • Manifest V3: Introduces changes to the user interface, such as the removal of browser action and page action in favor of a unified action API.

These changes aim to improve the performance, security, and privacy of Chrome extensions. However, the transition has been met with criticism, particularly from developers who rely on features that are restricted or removed in Manifest V3.

Mar 19, 6:48pm

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