Firefox add-on technology is modernizing
Revision Information
- Revision id: 151154
- Created:
- Creator: Caitlin Neiman
- Comment: Cleaned up copy
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: heyjoni
- Is approved? Yes
- Is current revision? No
- Ready for localization: Yes
- Readied for localization:
- Readied for localization by: heyjoni
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Revision Content
Add-ons allow you to add extra features and functionality to Firefox, modify the Firefox user interface and change its appearance. There are several types of add-ons but extensions are the most common. Anyone can create an extension and make it available for download.
Firefox Add-on Technology Has Modernized
In the past, extensions often stopped working each time a new version of Firefox was released, because developers had to update them every six weeks to keep them compatible. Since extensions could also modify Firefox internal code directly, it was possible for bad actors to include malicious code in an innocent-looking extension.
To address these issues, and as part of broader efforts to modernize Firefox as a whole, we’ve transitioned to a new framework for developing Firefox extensions. Extensions created with the new standard are safer, more secure, and won’t break in new Firefox releases. You can still personalize Firefox with extensions the same way you do now, except they won’t break in new Firefox releases.
To see if you have incompatible extensions installed, go to the Add-on Manager (Tools menu > Add-ons, or type “about:addons” in a new tab). There you will find recommended replacements for any legacy extensions. You can read more about this feature on the Add-ons Blog.
- For more help, please see the Frequently asked questions - Firefox add-on technology is modernizing.
- If you are the developer of a legacy add-on, resources are available to help you migrate to the new standard.