Google Chrome it is the default browser of millions of people. It occupies 65.7% of devices. Its main competitor, apple-safari, is at 18.66%. Such is the influence of Chrome that other browsers use its engine. It is the case of Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave either Vivaldi, among others. Hence, any change that it undergoes Chrome affects millions of internet users. Directly or indirectly. And if we talk about changes, the most important that we will see in Chrome is known by the name of Manifest V3.
Announced in 2019, there is still no definitive date for implement Manifest V3. At the end of September it was said that this date will be January 2024. But who knows if it will change. The important thing is that many have criticized this change. And that is limited to a part of Google Chrome that, in principle, should not be so important. But the reality is that it does affect users and those who develop apps and extensions for Google Chrome. Or so they say. Google, on the other hand, considers that the alarmism is unjustified.
Manifest V3 either Manifest Version 3is the name and version of the next Extensions API from Google Chrome. The current version, Manifest V2, will pass to a better life in order to introduce improvements in a matter of security, privacy and better performance from Google Chrome. This last aspect is one of the main criticisms that Google’s browser has been dragging for years. And, in part, the use and abuse of extensions has had something to do with it.
The role of Manifest V3 in Google Chrome
As explained by the developer documentation pages of microsoft Y Google“a manifest file (manifest in English) is the plane of an extension. It includes information such as the version number of the extension, the title of the extension, and the necessary permissions to run it. The migration from Manifest V2 to V3 It will lead to several structural changes in the handling of extensions by the browser.
That is Manifest V3 switch to the way it has Google Chrome of dealing with extensions, both their own and, especially, those of third parties. And the key to the controversy lies in the limitations that developers of security and privacy tools like the ad blockers (ad blockers in English) and the companies of VPN servers. To the point that those applications or extensions lose some of their most demanded features.
We could make a simile with the app permissions on Android or iOS. Now we are used to seeing warning messages telling us that the application you are going to install or open at that moment wants to use your location, the camera or wants to access your contacts. Years ago this was not the case, so we were less aware and we had less control of our privacy and security.
The importance of extensions
Google Chrome extensions have become a possible threat of security. So the change of APIs will, in theory, make us more protected from non-transparent extensions. But at the same time, Chrome gives less freedom to creators of extensions like AdBlock, AdGuard, uBlock and the dozens of VPN solutions available. And they have even complained organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Such is the difference of opinion between Google and the developers, that the final implementation date of Manifest V3 has been delayed between 2023 and 2024. All so that developers have time to implement changes to use Chrome APIs in future updates. With its advantages and disadvantages for the authors of extensions and for the users themselves. In any case, Google introduced Manifest V3 for the first time in Google Chrome in its version 88 Beta, in December 2020. And, for now, both APIs will coexist, those of Manifest V2 and V3.
Manifest V3 improvements according to Google
On the surface, Manifest V3 is really a big change for Google Chrome. A way to close or protect a possible entry to those who want to get hold of our devices or our personal data. And it is that, just as harmful mobile applications can access private information, extensions can access browser content that would affect our privacy.
These are the main improvements that bring with you Manifest V3:
- not allowed to run hosted code remotely.
- Replaces the Background Pages by Background Service Workers to improve performance.
- Remove the API lock webRequestprimarily to improve privacy and performance by reducing network requests on behalf of the user.
- Enter an API (declarativeNetRequest) that throttles those network requests.
- It allows choose permissions to give the extensions.
Ultimately, Google is determined that Manifest V3 will be part of Google Chrome in the future. Hence extension developers are forced to migrate from Manifest V2 to V3 as soon as possible. If that is not the case, your extensions will stop working when V2 APIs are no longer available in future Chrome updates. And taking into account that Chrome is updated with some frequency and practically automatically, escape Manifest V3 it is practically impossible.
It does not only affect Google Chrome
The importance of Manifest V3 and its conflict with certain extensions goes beyond Google Chrome. And that, as we saw at the beginning of this article, is the most used browser on most platforms and devices. But not only that. Some of its competitors decided to implement its engine, so many web browsers are based on Chromium.
The best known example is Microsoft Edge. Microsoft’s browser and substitute for Internet Explorer, after giving up its attempt to confront Google with its own engine, decided to integrate Chromium. The good thing is that it adds support for Chrome extensions. And precisely for this reason, at Microsoft too will implement Manifest V3 on Edge.
For its part, Brave Opera either Vivaldi also uses Chromium, but they were designed as an alternative to Google Chrome full of improvements and changes to be more respectful of the wishes of users. Initially, its goal is keep support for Manifest V2 to avoid the limitations of Manifest V3. On the other hand, both brave What Opera They have their own invasive advertising blocking systems. Y Opera integrates its own VPN.
will be to see how do they adapt future versions of your browsers when the APIs and compatibility with Manifest V2 disappear. And we will also have to wait to see if these alternatives to Google Chrome continue to offer support to install the extensions of the Chrome Web Store when Manifest V3 is the only possible option in Chromium.