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Categories: compatibility developers

Multi-process Firefox and AMO

8 responses

In Firefox 48, which reaches the release channel on August 1, 2016, multi-process support (code name “Electrolysis”, or “e10s”) will begin rolling out to Firefox users without any add-ons installed.

In preparation for the wider roll-out to users with add-ons installed, we have implemented compatibility checks on all add-ons uploaded to addons.mozilla.org (AMO).

There are currently three possible states:

  1. The add-on is a WebExtension and hence compatible.
  2. The add-on has marked itself in the install.rdf as multi-process compatible.
  3. The add-on has not marked itself compatible, so the state is currently unknown.

If a new add-on or a new version of an old add-on is not multi-process compatible, a warning will be shown in the validation step. Here is an example:

image01

In future releases, this warning might become more severe as the feature nears full deployment.

For add-ons that fall into the third category, we might implement a more detailed check in a future release, to provide developers with more insight into the “unknown” state.

After an add-on is uploaded, the state is shown in the Developer Hub. Here is an example:

image00

Once you verify that your add-on is compatible, be sure to mark it as such and upload a new version to AMO. There is documentation on MDN on how to test and mark your add-on.

If your add-on is not compatible, please head to our resource center where you will find information on how to update it and where to get help. We’re here to support you!

8 comments on “Multi-process Firefox and AMO”

  1. Brian T. Nakamoto wrote on

    “In Firefox 48, which reaches the release channel on August 1, 2016, mullti-process support (code name ‘Electrolysis’, or ‘e10s’) will begin rolling out to Firefox users without any add-ons installed.”

    Hi Andy, does this mean that Firefox 48 will feature a setting to disable multi-process support, and that multi-process support will be “off” by default for users who have an add-on?

    Thanks!

    1. Wes wrote on

      Multiprocess will be off by default for users with addons enabled.

  2. Kristopher Ives wrote on

    Thanks for making Firefox awesome, keep up the great work.

  3. Wes wrote on

    There’s also a fourth state, where an addon is explicitly marked as not multiprocess compatible in install.rdf.

    1. Andy McKay wrote on

      Good point, we’ve added that: https://github.com/mozilla/addons-server/issues/2972

      Thanks

  4. Martin wrote on

    Do you plan to highlight compatibility on the frontend as well? I imagine this could be quite a frustrating experience for users otherwise.

  5. Denny wrote on

    Will it be possible for the end user to manually enable multi-process support despite unsupported add-ons?

    1. Jorge Villalobos wrote on

      I think the only option there would be to completely disable compatibility checks, which I would strongly advise against, since it could lead to crashes or even data loss.