element-hq / element-hq/element-web
Browser WebExtension / Add-on as additional platform
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- TypeScript
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Description
**Is your suggestion related to a problem? Please describe.**
Currently the only way to serve Element Web without having to maintain a Webserver in some form is installing Element Desktop
**Describe the solution you'd like**
An alternative could be bundling Element as [WebExtension](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions), which would have some benefits:
- Updates to Element can easily get deployed to users over official WebExtension channels (Firefox AMO, Chrome Store)
- Allows users to install and run the whole thing locally, without having to worry that their Element Webserver of choice does malicious MITM things
- It would allow to make the client installation reproducible, since the whole WebExtension package could be downloaded and hash checked before installing
- In combination with Native messaging it would allow to have host platform native features: #14523
- Since its a WebExtension it would open up a new set of possibilities with the [WebExtension API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API)
**Describe alternatives you've considered**
Not aware of any
**Additional context**
This already [exists unofficially](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/radical-web), but I think it might be worth to consider doing something like that officially given the benefits.
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Assessment
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