Pros of webextensions-examples

• Provides complete, working examples of various WebExtension features
• Maintained by Mozilla Developer Network (MDN), ensuring high-quality and up-to-date content
• Includes detailed comments and explanations within the code

Cons of webextensions-examples

• Limited to a specific set of examples, not covering all possible WebExtension use cases
• Focuses on individual features rather than providing a comprehensive list of resources
• May not include the latest experimental or cutting-edge WebExtension capabilities

Code Comparison

webextensions-examples:

browser.browserAction.onClicked.addListener(() => {
  browser.tabs.create({
    url: "https://example.com"
  });
});

Awesome-WebExtensions:

## Getting Started

- [Chrome Extensions documentation](https://developer.chrome.com/extensions)
- [Mozilla's WebExtensions documentation](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions)

The webextensions-examples repository provides actual code snippets and complete examples, while Awesome-WebExtensions offers a curated list of resources and links to documentation.

Pros of web-extension-starter

• Provides a ready-to-use boilerplate for web extension development
• Includes TypeScript support out of the box
• Offers a pre-configured build system with webpack

Cons of web-extension-starter

• Limited to a specific tech stack, which may not suit all developers
• Requires more setup and understanding of the project structure
• Less comprehensive in terms of resources and examples compared to Awesome-WebExtensions

Code Comparison

web-extension-starter provides a structured project setup:

// source/Background/index.ts
import reloadOnUpdate from 'virtual:reload-on-update-in-background-script';

reloadOnUpdate('pages/background');

console.log('background script loaded');

Awesome-WebExtensions, being a curated list, doesn't provide direct code examples but offers links to various resources and tools:

## Boilerplates
- [browser-extension-template](https://github.com/notlmn/browser-extension-template) - Barebones boilerplate with webpack, options handler and auto-publishing.
- [create-browser-extension](https://github.com/dutiyesh/create-browser-extension) - WebExtension starter kit - Create modern cross-browser extensions with no build configuration.

While web-extension-starter offers a complete development environment, Awesome-WebExtensions provides a comprehensive list of resources, tools, and examples for web extension development. The choice between them depends on whether you need a ready-to-use boilerplate or a collection of resources to build your own setup.

Pros of webextension-polyfill

• Provides a standardized Promise-based API for cross-browser extension development
• Maintained by Mozilla, ensuring compatibility with Firefox and other browsers
• Simplifies asynchronous operations in extension development

Cons of webextension-polyfill

• Limited to API polyfills, not a comprehensive resource for extension development
• May introduce a small performance overhead due to Promise wrapping
• Requires additional setup and inclusion in extension projects

Code Comparison

webextension-polyfill:

browser.tabs.query({active: true, currentWindow: true}).then(tabs => {
  console.log(tabs[0].url);
});

Awesome-WebExtensions (example from a linked resource):

chrome.tabs.query({active: true, currentWindow: true}, tabs => {
  console.log(tabs[0].url);
});

Summary

Awesome-WebExtensions is a curated list of resources for browser extension development, offering a wide range of tools, libraries, and guides. It serves as a comprehensive reference for developers but doesn't provide direct functionality.

webextension-polyfill, on the other hand, is a specific tool that provides a unified API for cross-browser extension development. It offers a more consistent development experience but is focused solely on API compatibility rather than being a general resource.

Developers may find value in using both: Awesome-WebExtensions for discovering resources and webextension-polyfill for simplifying cross-browser development.

Pros of chrome-extensions-samples

• Official Google repository with up-to-date examples
• Comprehensive collection of samples covering various Chrome extension APIs
• Well-documented code with comments explaining functionality

Cons of chrome-extensions-samples

• Focused solely on Chrome extensions, lacking cross-browser compatibility
• May not include community-contributed resources or third-party tools
• Limited to code samples, without curated lists of external resources

Code Comparison

Awesome-WebExtensions typically doesn't include code samples directly, but rather links to resources. chrome-extensions-samples provides full code examples:

// chrome-extensions-samples (example from messaging sample)
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {
  if (message.action === 'getCount') {
    sendResponse({ count: count });
  }
});

Awesome-WebExtensions might link to similar resources or documentation, but doesn't host code directly.

Summary

chrome-extensions-samples offers official, well-documented Chrome extension examples, ideal for developers focusing on Chrome. Awesome-WebExtensions provides a broader, community-curated list of resources for cross-browser extension development, including tools, libraries, and tutorials. The choice between them depends on whether you're specifically targeting Chrome or aiming for cross-browser compatibility.

Pros of vue-web-extension

• Focused specifically on Vue.js for building web extensions
• Provides a complete boilerplate and build setup for Vue-based extensions
• Includes hot-reloading for faster development

Cons of vue-web-extension

• Limited to Vue.js framework, less flexible for other technologies
• Smaller community and fewer resources compared to Awesome-WebExtensions
• May require more setup and configuration for complex extensions

Code Comparison

vue-web-extension:

import Vue from 'vue'
import App from './App.vue'

new Vue({
  el: '#app',
  render: h => h(App)
})

Awesome-WebExtensions (generic example):

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
  const app = document.getElementById('app')
  app.textContent = 'Hello, Web Extension!'
})

Summary

vue-web-extension is a specialized boilerplate for building Vue.js-based web extensions, offering a streamlined development experience with hot-reloading and a complete setup. However, it's limited to the Vue.js ecosystem and may have a smaller community.

Awesome-WebExtensions, on the other hand, is a comprehensive resource list covering various aspects of web extension development across different browsers and technologies. It provides a wider range of tools, libraries, and examples but doesn't offer a specific boilerplate or framework.

Choose vue-web-extension if you're committed to using Vue.js for your extension. Opt for Awesome-WebExtensions if you need a broader set of resources or want to explore different technologies for extension development.