Question 1

How to use webextension-polyfill with webpack?

Accepted Answer

You can bundle it using require() in your source files or copy it directly with copy-webpack-plugin. The README provides step-by-step examples for both approaches to ensure it's included before other scripts.

Question 2

Does webextension-polyfill work on Microsoft Edge?

Accepted Answer

Yes, unofficially for Edge versions 79 and above, as it's Chrome-compatible. For older Edge versions, you need additional tools like the Microsoft Edge Extension Toolkit, as mentioned in the known limitations.

Question 3

webextension-polyfill vs chrome.* API: which is better for cross-browser extensions?

Accepted Answer

Webextension-polyfill is better for cross-browser development because it standardizes on Promises and aligns with the W3C standard. Use chrome.* only if you're targeting Chrome exclusively and prefer callbacks.

Question 4

How to handle Firefox-only APIs with webextension-polyfill?

Accepted Answer

You must implement runtime feature detection and polyfill missing features yourself, as the library doesn't cover Firefox-specific APIs. This adds extra development effort for browser-specific capabilities.

Question 5

Is webextension-polyfill compatible with TypeScript?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through community packages like @types/webextension-polyfill, which provide type definitions. This allows for better tooling and error checking in TypeScript projects.

Question 6

What are the main limitations of webextension-polyfill?

Accepted Answer

Key limitations include no polyfill for missing Firefox features, lack of callback support in Promises, and issues with tabs.executeScript returning undefined for Promise results on Chrome. These are documented in the known limitations section.

Question 7

How to inject webextension-polyfill in dynamic content scripts?

Accepted Answer

Use browser.tabs.executeScript to inject the polyfill file before your content script, as shown in the basic setup. This ensures the API is available for subsequent scripts.

webextension-polyfill

What is webextension-polyfill?

Overview

Use Cases

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Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions