ipfs/ipfs-companion

Provide API for other browser extensions

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#307 opened on Nov 14, 2017

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Description

Interesting idea for WebExtension ecosystem:

I think extensions working together by providing APIs to each other is a really cool thing. APIs can either be a runtime.onMessageExternal (or onConnectExternal) protocol or a global injected into a website that other extensions and user scripts can interact with to augment functionality.

I’ve started a list with documented APIs (I know of a few more, but no documentation for them, at least yet): https://github.com/freaktechnik/awesome-extension-apis

Quick brain dump:

  • In theory, ipfs-companion could provide an API for other extensions
    • additional incentive for installing the add-on
    • decrease complexity of other extensions
  • As a PoC we could provide a small sub-set of interface-ipfs-core
    • eg. read-only files.get, swarm.peers etc.
    • think about security considerations (eg. should we avoid mutable actions until we have some kind of ACL?)
  • Other extensions should be able to use the built-in management API to check if the ipfs-companion is installed, before request is sent, or just implement correct error handling

Potential client extensions

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
apideveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Understanding of WebExtension messagingIPFS core API basicsJavaScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
20
Research direction
Investigate the WebExtension messaging APIs (runtime.onMessageExternal, onConnectExternal). Review the awesome extension apis list for patterns. Consider implementing a read only subset of interface ipfs core (e.g., files.get, swarm.peers). Evaluate security implications and consider ACL for mutable actions.