What is CRXJS?
CRXJS Vite Plugin is a tool that helps you make Chrome Extensions using modern web development technology.
Things like HMR and static asset imports work out of the box so you can get started making a modern Chrome Extension, not configuring build tools.
Why CRXJS?
We've grown to expect a polished developer experience these days. Build tools like Create React App or Vite make it easy to start making a web app. Unfortunately, building a Chrome Extension isn't the same.
You crawl the web looking for the perfect boilerplate, and the most popular ones aren't that simple or don't support more than one framework. When it's time to add another extension page or content script, you have to update your config in more than one place, and nice things like true HMR for content scripts are hard to come by.
Not anymore. CRXJS Vite Plugin simplifies the Chrome Extension developer experience by combining the refined features of Vite with a simple configuration strategy:
Use the manifest!
CRXJS parses manifest.json to find the files to include in your extension. The
manifest is the central document that declares most of the files and
configuration for your extension, why do we need more?
These docs are a work in progress! We are adding new content every week. If you have questions or ideas, please join the discussion on GitHub or make a PR.