{"id":7985,"date":"2016-11-23T16:04:43","date_gmt":"2016-11-24T00:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/addons\/?p=7985"},"modified":"2018-09-03T12:41:04","modified_gmt":"2018-09-03T19:41:04","slug":"add-ons-in-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/addons\/2016\/11\/23\/add-ons-in-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Add-ons in 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

A little more than a year ago we started talking about <\/span>where add-ons were headed<\/span><\/a>, and what the future would look like. It\u2019s been busy, and we wanted to give everyone an update as well as provide guidance on what to expect in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the last year, we\u2019ve focused as a community on foundational work building out <\/span>WebExtensions support<\/span><\/a> in Firefox and <\/span>addons.mozilla.org<\/span><\/a> (AMO), <\/span>reducing the time<\/span><\/a> it takes for listed add-ons to be reviewed while maintaining the standards we apply to them, and <\/span>getting Add-ons ready for e10s<\/span><\/a>. We\u2019ve made a number of changes to our process and products to make it easier to submit, distribute, and discover add-ons through initiatives like the <\/span>signing API<\/span><\/a> and a revamped <\/span>Discovery Pane<\/span><\/a> in the add-ons manager. Finally, we\u2019ve continued to focus on communicating changes to the developer community via direct outreach, <\/span>mailing lists<\/span><\/a>, email campaigns, <\/span>wikis<\/span><\/a>, and the <\/span>add-ons blog<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve mentioned, WebExtensions are the future of add-ons for Firefox, and will continue to be where we concentrate efforts in 2017. WebExtensions are decoupled from the platform, so the changes <\/span>we\u2019ll make<\/span><\/a> to Firefox <\/span>in the coming<\/span><\/a> year <\/span>and beyond<\/span><\/a> won\u2019t affect them. They\u2019re easier to develop, and you won\u2019t have to learn about Firefox internals to get up and running. It\u2019ll be easier to move your add-ons over to and from other browsers with minimal changes, as we\u2019re making the APIs compatible \u2013 where it makes sense \u2013 with products like Opera, Chrome, and Edge.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of 2017, and with the release of <\/span>Firefox 57<\/span><\/a>, we\u2019ll move to WebExtensions exclusively, and will stop loading any other extension types on desktop. To help ensure any new extensions work beyond the end of 2017, AMO will stop accepting any new extensions<\/a> for signing that are not WebExtensions in <\/span>Firefox 53<\/span><\/a>. Throughout the year we\u2019ll expand the set of APIs available, add capabilities to Firefox that don\u2019t yet exist in other browsers, and put more WebExtensions in front of users. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of moving parts, and we\u2019ll be tracking more detailed information – including a timeline and roadmap – on the <\/span>WebExtensions section<\/span><\/a> of the <\/span>Mozilla Wiki<\/span><\/a>. If you\u2019re interested in getting involved with the add-on community and WebExtensions, we have a <\/span>few ways you can do that<\/span><\/a>. We\u2019re looking forward to the next year, and will continue to post updates and additional information here on the Add-ons blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on Add-ons and WebExtensions, see:<\/span><\/p>\n