Browser Extension Development

Project Protection Setup

MANDATORY before writing any code:

bash

# 1. Create .gitignore
cat >> .gitignore << 'EOF'
# Build
dist/
node_modules/
*.zip

# Secrets
.env
api_keys.js
config.local.ts

# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/
.DS_Store

# Extension artifacts
*.crx
*.pem
EOF

# 2. Setup pre-commit hooks
cat > .pre-commit-config.yaml << 'EOF'
repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
    rev: v5.0.0
    hooks:
      - id: detect-private-key
      - id: check-added-large-files
  - repo: https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks
    rev: v8.21.2
    hooks:
      - id: gitleaks
EOF

pre-commit install

Overview

Browser extensions extend browser functionality using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS/TS).

Browser	Manifest	Store
Chrome	V3 (required)	Chrome Web Store
Firefox	V2/V3	Firefox Add-ons
Edge	V3	Edge Add-ons

Quick Start

Project Structure

code

my-extension/
├── manifest.json       # Extension config
├── src/
│   ├── background.ts   # Service worker
│   ├── content.ts      # Page injection
│   ├── popup/
│   │   ├── popup.html
│   │   ├── popup.ts
│   │   └── popup.css
│   └── options/
│       ├── options.html
│       └── options.ts
├── icons/
│   ├── icon-16.png
│   ├── icon-48.png
│   └── icon-128.png
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── vite.config.ts

manifest.json (V3)

json

{
  "manifest_version": 3,
  "name": "My Extension",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "A sample browser extension",

  "permissions": [
    "storage",
    "activeTab"
  ],

  "host_permissions": [
    "https://*.example.com/*"
  ],

  "background": {
    "service_worker": "background.js",
    "type": "module"
  },

  "content_scripts": [
    {
      "matches": ["https://*.example.com/*"],
      "js": ["content.js"],
      "css": ["content.css"]
    }
  ],

  "action": {
    "default_popup": "popup/popup.html",
    "default_icon": {
      "16": "icons/icon-16.png",
      "48": "icons/icon-48.png",
      "128": "icons/icon-128.png"
    }
  },

  "options_page": "options/options.html",

  "icons": {
    "16": "icons/icon-16.png",
    "48": "icons/icon-48.png",
    "128": "icons/icon-128.png"
  }
}

Service Worker (Background)

The background script runs in a service worker (V3) - it's event-driven and doesn't persist.

typescript

// background.ts

// Listen for extension install
chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener((details) => {
  if (details.reason === 'install') {
    console.log('Extension installed');
    // Set default settings
    chrome.storage.sync.set({ enabled: true });
  }
});

// Listen for messages from content scripts or popup
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {
  if (message.type === 'GET_DATA') {
    fetchData().then(sendResponse);
    return true; // Keep channel open for async response
  }
});

// Listen for tab updates
chrome.tabs.onUpdated.addListener((tabId, changeInfo, tab) => {
  if (changeInfo.status === 'complete' && tab.url?.includes('example.com')) {
    // Tab loaded, do something
  }
});

// Context menu
chrome.contextMenus.create({
  id: 'my-action',
  title: 'Do Something',
  contexts: ['selection'],
});

chrome.contextMenus.onClicked.addListener((info, tab) => {
  if (info.menuItemId === 'my-action') {
    const selectedText = info.selectionText;
    // Process selection
  }
});

Content Scripts

Content scripts run in the context of web pages.

typescript

// content.ts

// DOM manipulation
const button = document.createElement('button');
button.textContent = 'My Extension';
button.onclick = () => {
  chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ type: 'BUTTON_CLICKED' });
};
document.body.appendChild(button);

// Listen for messages from background
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {
  if (message.type === 'HIGHLIGHT') {
    document.body.style.backgroundColor = 'yellow';
    sendResponse({ success: true });
  }
});

// Send data to background
const pageData = document.title;
chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ type: 'PAGE_DATA', data: pageData });

Isolated World

Content scripts run in an isolated world - they can access the DOM but not page JS variables.

typescript

// To access page context, inject a script
const script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = chrome.runtime.getURL('injected.js');
document.head.appendChild(script);

// Communication via custom events
window.addEventListener('from-page', (e: CustomEvent) => {
  console.log('Data from page:', e.detail);
});

// In injected.js (runs in page context)
window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('from-page', {
  detail: { data: window.somePageVariable }
}));

Popup

html

<!-- popup/popup.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="popup.css">
</head>
<body>
  <div class="container">
    <h1>My Extension</h1>
    <label>
      <input type="checkbox" id="enabled">
      Enabled
    </label>
    <button id="action">Do Something</button>
  </div>
  <script src="popup.js" type="module"></script>
</body>
</html>

typescript

// popup/popup.ts

const enabledCheckbox = document.getElementById('enabled') as HTMLInputElement;
const actionButton = document.getElementById('action') as HTMLButtonElement;

// Load saved state
chrome.storage.sync.get(['enabled'], (result) => {
  enabledCheckbox.checked = result.enabled ?? true;
});

// Save state on change
enabledCheckbox.addEventListener('change', () => {
  chrome.storage.sync.set({ enabled: enabledCheckbox.checked });
});

// Send message to background
actionButton.addEventListener('click', async () => {
  const [tab] = await chrome.tabs.query({ active: true, currentWindow: true });
  if (tab.id) {
    chrome.tabs.sendMessage(tab.id, { type: 'HIGHLIGHT' });
  }
});

Storage

Local vs Sync

typescript

// Local storage (per-device, larger quota)
chrome.storage.local.set({ key: 'value' });
chrome.storage.local.get(['key'], (result) => {
  console.log(result.key);
});

// Sync storage (synced across devices, smaller quota)
chrome.storage.sync.set({ setting: true });
chrome.storage.sync.get(['setting'], (result) => {
  console.log(result.setting);
});

// Listen for changes
chrome.storage.onChanged.addListener((changes, area) => {
  if (area === 'sync' && changes.setting) {
    console.log('Setting changed:', changes.setting.newValue);
  }
});

Message Passing

Content <-> Background

typescript

// From content script
chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ type: 'GET_DATA' }, (response) => {
  console.log('Response:', response);
});

// From background (to specific tab)
chrome.tabs.sendMessage(tabId, { type: 'UPDATE' }, (response) => {
  console.log('Response:', response);
});

Long-lived Connections

typescript

// Content script
const port = chrome.runtime.connect({ name: 'my-channel' });
port.postMessage({ type: 'INIT' });
port.onMessage.addListener((msg) => {
  console.log('Received:', msg);
});

// Background
chrome.runtime.onConnect.addListener((port) => {
  if (port.name === 'my-channel') {
    port.onMessage.addListener((msg) => {
      port.postMessage({ response: 'ok' });
    });
  }
});

Permissions

Required vs Optional

json

{
  "permissions": [
    "storage",      // Always needed
    "activeTab"     // Safe, no warning
  ],
  "optional_permissions": [
    "tabs",         // Request when needed
    "history"
  ],
  "host_permissions": [
    "https://*.example.com/*"
  ],
  "optional_host_permissions": [
    "https://*/*"   // Request for all sites
  ]
}

Requesting Optional Permissions

typescript

async function requestPermission() {
  const granted = await chrome.permissions.request({
    permissions: ['tabs'],
    origins: ['https://other-site.com/*']
  });

  if (granted) {
    console.log('Permission granted');
  }
}

Build Setup (Vite)

typescript

// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import { resolve } from 'path';

export default defineConfig({
  build: {
    rollupOptions: {
      input: {
        background: resolve(__dirname, 'src/background.ts'),
        content: resolve(__dirname, 'src/content.ts'),
        popup: resolve(__dirname, 'src/popup/popup.html'),
        options: resolve(__dirname, 'src/options/options.html'),
      },
      output: {
        entryFileNames: '[name].js',
      },
    },
    outDir: 'dist',
    emptyOutDir: true,
  },
});

json

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "vite build --watch",
    "build": "vite build",
    "zip": "cd dist && zip -r ../extension.zip ."
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/chrome": "^0.0.260",
    "typescript": "^5",
    "vite": "^5"
  }
}

Firefox Compatibility

Manifest Differences

json

{
  "browser_specific_settings": {
    "gecko": {
      "id": "my-extension@example.com",
      "strict_min_version": "109.0"
    }
  },
  "background": {
    "scripts": ["background.js"]  // Firefox V2 style
  }
}

API Differences

typescript

// Use browser namespace (Firefox) with chrome fallback
const api = typeof browser !== 'undefined' ? browser : chrome;

// Or use webextension-polyfill
import browser from 'webextension-polyfill';

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Solution
Service worker dies	Re-register listeners, use alarms
CORS in content scripts	Make requests from background
DOM not ready	Use DOMContentLoaded or MutationObserver
CSP blocks inline scripts	Use external script files
Storage quota exceeded	Use local storage for large data

Testing

Manual Loading

•Chrome: chrome://extensions/ -> Developer mode -> Load unpacked
•Firefox: about:debugging -> This Firefox -> Load Temporary Add-on

Automated Testing

typescript

// Use puppeteer with extension
import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';

const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
  headless: false,
  args: [
    `--disable-extensions-except=${extensionPath}`,
    `--load-extension=${extensionPath}`,
  ],
});

Publishing

Chrome Web Store

•Create developer account ($5 one-time)
•Create ZIP of extension
•Submit for review (1-3 days)

Firefox Add-ons

•Create developer account (free)
•Submit XPI or ZIP
•Review (1-7 days)

Testing

Unit Tests (Vitest)

typescript

import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';

// Mock chrome API
const chrome = {
  storage: {
    sync: {
      get: vi.fn(),
      set: vi.fn(),
    },
  },
  runtime: {
    sendMessage: vi.fn(),
  },
};
global.chrome = chrome;

describe('Storage helpers', () => {
  it('saves settings', async () => {
    await saveSettings({ enabled: true });
    expect(chrome.storage.sync.set).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ enabled: true });
  });

  it('loads settings with defaults', async () => {
    chrome.storage.sync.get.mockResolvedValue({});
    const settings = await loadSettings();
    expect(settings.enabled).toBe(true); // default
  });
});

describe('Content script', () => {
  it('highlights elements', () => {
    document.body.innerHTML = '<div class="target">Test</div>';
    highlightTargets();
    expect(document.querySelector('.target')?.style.backgroundColor).toBe('yellow');
  });
});

Integration Tests (Puppeteer)

typescript

import puppeteer from 'puppeteer';

describe('Extension E2E', () => {
  let browser;

  beforeAll(async () => {
    browser = await puppeteer.launch({
      headless: false,
      args: [
        `--disable-extensions-except=${extensionPath}`,
        `--load-extension=${extensionPath}`,
      ],
    });
  });

  it('popup opens', async () => {
    const page = await browser.newPage();
    await page.goto(`chrome-extension://${extensionId}/popup/popup.html`);
    const title = await page.$eval('h1', el => el.textContent);
    expect(title).toBe('My Extension');
  });

  afterAll(async () => {
    await browser.close();
  });
});

TDD Workflow

code

1. Task[tdd-test-writer]: "Create settings storage"
   → Writes test for save/load settings
   → npm test → FAILS (RED)

2. Task[rust-developer]: "Implement storage helpers"
   → Implements with chrome.storage API
   → npm test → PASSES (GREEN)

3. Repeat for each feature

4. Task[code-reviewer]: "Review extension"
   → Checks permissions, CSP, security

Security Checklist

• Minimal permissions (request only what's needed)
• No eval() or inline scripts
• Validate all external data
• Use HTTPS only
• Content Security Policy defined
• No sensitive data in storage.sync (visible across devices)
• No API keys in source (use environment or user input)
• Input sanitization in content scripts
• pre-commit hooks with gitleaks