Refined GitHub for Firefox vs. Chrome: What’s Different?Refined GitHub is a popular browser extension that enhances GitHub’s interface and improves developer productivity by adding small but powerful quality-of-life features. While its core purpose is the same across browsers, subtle differences exist between using Refined GitHub on Firefox and on Chrome. This article compares the two experiences across installation, compatibility, performance, features, privacy, extension ecosystems, and developer support so you can choose the best setup for your workflow.
What Refined GitHub does (quick overview)
Refined GitHub aggregates many small UI and workflow improvements into one extension. Common features include:
- Better file tree navigation and file headers
- Inline copy buttons for code blocks and file paths
- Enhanced pull request and issue lists (filters, labels, timestamps)
- Keyboard shortcuts and quick links for common actions
- Small UI tweaks like simplified buttons, badge counts, and visual consistency
These features are implemented as content scripts and styles injected into GitHub pages. How those scripts run and how the extension integrates depends on the browser.
Installation and availability
- Chrome: Refined GitHub is distributed through the Chrome Web Store. Installation is a one-click process for most users on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi). Updates are delivered automatically through Google’s store mechanisms.
- Firefox: Refined GitHub is available on Mozilla Add-ons (AMO). Installation is similarly straightforward, and updates are handled by Mozilla’s add-ons update system.
Both stores enforce their own review processes and policies, which can affect release timing or allowed APIs. Historically, some extensions see slightly faster update rollout on Chromium stores because of differences in review pipelines, but Mozilla’s AMO is robust and widely used.
Extension architecture and APIs
Refined GitHub primarily uses standard WebExtensions APIs, which are supported by both browsers. However, differences in API behavior and available features can lead to variations:
- Background scripts, content scripts, and messaging generally work the same.
- Chrome historically offered more extension APIs (e.g., some experimental or less-standardized features) and had earlier support for certain capabilities. Firefox has caught up significantly, but subtle differences remain in behavior and edge cases.
- Manifest v3 adoption differs between browsers. Chrome moved aggressively to Manifest V3; Firefox has been more cautious and delayed/modified some MV3 features. If Refined GitHub relies on Manifest v2 behavior or certain MV3 service-worker patterns, implementations may diverge.
Because Refined GitHub is mostly content-script driven, most features behave identically, but timing and lifecycle differences (when content scripts are injected, service worker wake-ups, etc.) can produce small discrepancies.
Performance and resource usage
- Chrome/Chromium: Generally benefits from aggressive process isolation and V8 optimizations. Extensions may run slightly faster in content-script execution and DOM manipulation on complex pages.
- Firefox: Uses a different JavaScript engine (SpiderMonkey) and different DOM/update optimizations. In many cases, differences are negligible for content scripts. Firefox has improved memory and CPU performance significantly, but specific interactions (large PR pages, heavy DOM changes) might feel different.
Refined GitHub’s own overhead is small; if you notice performance differences, they’re more likely tied to overall browser memory usage, other installed extensions, or specific page complexity rather than Refined GitHub alone.
Feature parity and small UI differences
Most Refined GitHub features are available on both browsers, but you may observe tiny UI or behavior differences:
- Timing of injected UI elements (some buttons or badges might render a split-second later on one browser).
- CSS rendering and layout can vary because of browser-specific default styles or rendering engines, causing slight shifts in positioning or spacing.
- Keyboard shortcuts: both support shortcuts, but conflicts with browser or other-extension shortcuts can differ between Firefox and Chrome.
- Native macOS/Windows/Linux integration (e.g., context menu entries) can appear slightly different or be placed differently.
The Refined GitHub maintainers typically test on both engines and aim for parity; major features are not intentionally limited to one browser.
Privacy and permissions
- Both browsers request permissions needed to run on GitHub domains. The extension needs access to github.com (and sometimes api.github.com) to modify pages.
- Firefox and Chrome have different permission prompt UIs and granularities. Firefox emphasizes permission transparency in its install UI; Chrome shows similar prompts but uses Google’s ecosystem for extension distribution.
- If you use extra privacy tooling (content blockers, strict tracking protection in Firefox), interactions between those tools and Refined GitHub can differ. For example, Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection or uBlock-origin filters might block certain resources or scripts Refined GitHub expects to interact with; Chrome’s privacy defaults differ.
Compatibility with other extensions and ecosystem differences
- The broader extension ecosystems differ in popularity and usage patterns: Chrome users often run many Chromium-specific extensions; Firefox users frequently use privacy-focused extensions (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, multi-account containers).
- Refined GitHub generally coexists well with other extensions, but conflicts can occur when multiple extensions modify the same DOM elements (e.g., other GitHub enhancers, dark-theme injectors, or layout changers). How conflicts manifest may differ by browser due to differences in execution timing or CSS specificity.
Developer support, open-source maintenance, and update cadence
Refined GitHub is an open-source project with contributions and issue reports from users across browsers. Maintainers usually prioritize cross-browser compatibility, but:
- Bug reports should include browser/version and a minimal reproduction. Some bugs are browser-specific (e.g., a feature working in Chrome but not in Firefox due to API timing).
- Pull requests and CI may include browser-specific test runs. The project’s changelog and issue tracker will indicate browser-targeted fixes when relevant.
Troubleshooting: common issues and fixes
- If a Refined GitHub feature seems missing:
- Ensure you have the latest extension update from your browser’s store.
- Disable other GitHub-related extensions to rule out conflicts.
- Check browser console (Ctrl+Shift+J / Cmd+Option+J) for errors that might indicate blocked scripts or CSP problems.
- If you see performance slowdowns:
- Temporarily disable other extensions and test.
- Try in a clean profile to isolate browser configuration issues.
- If privacy blockers interfere:
- Whitelist github.com or refine filter rules to allow necessary scripts/styles.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Firefox if you prioritize privacy features, strict tracking protection, or prefer Firefox’s extension permission UX. Firefox’s extension platform is robust and fully compatible with Refined GitHub for most use cases.
- Choose Chrome/Chromium if you prefer the widest extension compatibility, slightly different performance characteristics, or use other Chromium-only tools that integrate with your workflow.
In practice, differences are minor: Refined GitHub offers largely the same feature set on both Firefox and Chrome, with small variations in timing, rendering, and interactions caused by browser engines and extension platform nuances.
If you want, I can:
- List known browser-specific Refined GitHub issues from the project’s issue tracker.
- Give step-by-step troubleshooting for a feature that’s not working in your browser.
Leave a Reply