Firefox Browser Architecture

Vision

Build the world’s best web browser

Strategy

Our top priority is to plan for where we want to go, but if we just think 5 years out, we’ll miss the dragon on the doorstep. So we need to look from both angles:

1. Look forward from where we are now: Move faster
2. Look backwards from where we want to get to: Consciously plan our architecture

Our Conclusions

This is a list of our findings that we're reasonably happy with so far.

• Documenting our output looks at how we’re going to communicate with the rest of Mozilla.
• Extracting Necko considers whether it's feasible or worthwhile to extract Necko — Gecko's C++ networking library — for use as a standalone component.
• Problems with XUL aims to list the different kinds of problems that exist with XUL.
• XBL and Web Components compares some old Mozilla technology (XBL) with modern Web Components.
• Problems with XBL aims to list the different kinds of problems that exist with XBL.
• Architecture Reviews are healthy and we proposed a process for healthy reviews.
• XBL Design Review packet is the packet that we prepared for the architectural design review for XBL removal.
• Roadmap Review: Sync and Storage establishes that storage and syncing of user data is a pillar of the Firefox ecosystem, warranting holistic and long-term attention, and outlines where we’d like to end up and some ideas for how to get there.
• JavaScript Type Safety Systems are some conclusions of an investigation into the use of JavaScript type safety systems.
• Firefox Data Stores Documentation documents the existing data stores across all current Firefox platforms.
• Fluent in Prefs Design Review describes the lightweight design review for Fluent in Prefs.
• A brief analysis of JSON file-backed storage outlines some of the pros and cons of using a flat file (particularly via JSONFile.jsm) to store data in Firefox.
• Process Isolation in Firefox is a WIP evaluation of how far we can push process isolation to improve security and stability.
• IPC Security Models and Status is an audit of our current IPC status.
• XUL Overlay Removal Review Packet is the packet that we prepared for the architectural design review for XUL Overlay removal.
• Design Review: Key-Value Storage proposes the introduction of a fast, cross-platform key-value store for Mozilla products.

Posts

We typically send our newsletters to firefox-dev.

• Browser Architecture Update. See also mailing-list-post.
• Browser Architecture Newsletter #2. See also mailing-list-post.
• Browser Architecture Newsletter #3. See also mailing-list-post.
• Browser Architecture Newsletter #4. See also mailing-list-post.
• Browser Architecture Newsletter #5. See also mailing-list-post.

Explorations and Experiments

To support our conclusions we occasionally perform explorations and experiments. The first exploration is designed to support the notion that we can create a sync and storage layer in Rust that we can deploy to Desktop, Android and iOS.

• Deploying a Rust library on iOS. A short tutorial describing how to build and deploy a Rust library for use inside an iOS app.
• Deploying a Rust library on Android. A short tutorial describing how to build and deploy a Rust library for use inside an Android app.