
Show HN: Chrome Extension Starter Kit and eBook - w4bp00l
https://ChromeExtensionKit.com?ref=showhn
======
dkthehuman
Nice work! Always exciting to see more products and offerings in the
extensions space.

For Typescript aficionados, here’s an extension starter kit I built that
powers [https://getintention.com](https://getintention.com),
[https://hidefeed.com](https://hidefeed.com), and
[https://hidelikes.com](https://hidelikes.com) with support for React,
Typescript, Bootstrap, Babel, and Webpack out of the box (automatically works
for Firefox as well):

[https://github.com/dkthehuman/extension-starter-
kit](https://github.com/dkthehuman/extension-starter-kit)

~~~
duhi88
Thank you for making this cross-browser compatible! I'm definitely checking it
out.

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reificator
My first response to this headline is "Just call it web extension starter kit,
stop enabling the monoculture".

But then I remembered how the last time I went to build an internal web
extension I couldn't even deploy to Firefox without uploading that internal
extension to Mozilla. Left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Meanwhile deploying an internal web extension to Chrome was pretty
straightforward, signing the extension was just another step in the CI
process.

~~~
AlexITC
My experience with
[https://github.com/wiringbits/cazadescuentos](https://github.com/wiringbits/cazadescuentos)
is totally different, I have had lots of headaches dealing with Chrome, while
pushing updates on Firefox has been a smooth process.

On Firefox side of things, I prefer to upload my source code than to get
blocked commonly with ambiguous or not clear reasons.

Honestly, if you think about it, all browser extension could be open sourced,
it can certainly improve trust, and, they run on the client side anyway.

Just look on the hn posts this year, there has been lots of people complaining
about the Chrome review process taking more than 3 weeks, and rejections
without clear reasons.

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arthurjj
Chrome extensions feel like the bash scripting of the 21st century. But as a
primarily backend developer I'm learning Javascript at the same time I'm
learning the browser at the same time I'm learning Chrome internals. This
looks like it would really help with the latter 2.

Having just slogged through my second extension I could have really used this
2 months ago. Kudos

~~~
AlexITC
I feel you, for those reasons I ended up creating a
[template]([https://github.com/AlexITC/chrome-scalajs-
template](https://github.com/AlexITC/chrome-scalajs-template)) for building
browser extensions with scalajs, if typed languages are your way, I suggest
you to give a try.

------
AlexITC
Looks promising, thanks for sharing.

For those looking for typed alternatives, I have enjoyed writing browser
extensions in scalajs, and ended up building a template to get started easily
on it: [https://github.com/AlexITC/chrome-scalajs-
template](https://github.com/AlexITC/chrome-scalajs-template)

------
duhi88
Do developers really not care about Firefox anymore? Is it just the younger
generation of devs who ignore it, or has everyone stopped?

I guess it's Mozilla's fault for dropping the ball on real community
outreach...helping devs build stuff that other Firefox users will use. idk..I
just hate seeing all these great tools released for Chrome that _should_ be
able to be adapted for Firefox.

~~~
AlexITC
I do really prefer, and recommend the Firefox version on extension's [landing
page]([https://cazadescuentos.net/](https://cazadescuentos.net/)).

As I have commented other times, I found the Firefox review process quite
smooth, and the Chrome one, quite annoying, I even considered to stop pushing
updates to chrome.

On the tooling, Firefox has great tools, and even good guides on how to make
the extension compatible with other browsers.

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saadalem
There's multiple examples of successful companies with their core product
using a browser extension like honey, loom, grammarly etc.. yet the Google
Chrome developer experience is seriously lacking, someone is going to be
successful building Expo for browser extension dev !

------
mgdev
I'd love to see sales stats shared for this. Would be a great case study for
1-person digital product sales.

~~~
w4bp00l
That's something I'm interested in writing about as well. This is my first
true digital product so I'm learning a lot along the way. I wrote a little bit
about the Product Hunt launch results for it here:
[https://ryanfitzgerald.ca/blog/first-product-
hunt/](https://ryanfitzgerald.ca/blog/first-product-hunt/). Definitely more to
come!

