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Welcome What's new in Chrome extensions Get help with Chrome extensions
Welcome Extensions 101 Development basics Run scripts on every page Inject scripts into the active tab Manage tabs Handle events with service workers
Welcome to Manifest V3 Extensions platform vision Overview of Manifest V3
What are themes? Frequently asked questions Extensions quality guidelines FAQ
Migrate to Manifest V3 Manifest V3 migration checklist Update the manifest Migrate to a service worker Update your code Replace blocking web request listeners Improve extension security Manifest V2 support timeline Known issues when migrating to Manifest V3
API reference Samples
Extension development overview Manifest file format Architecture overview Declare permissions About extension service workers Design the user interface Debugging extensions Samples
About extension service workers Extension service worker basics The extension service worker lifecycle Events in service workers Using WebSockets in Service Workers
Message passing Content scripts Match patterns Using promises Cross-origin isolation
Using eval in Chrome extensions
Overriding Chrome settings Extending DevTools Fetching favicons OAuth2: Authenticate users with Google Override Chrome pages Rich notifications API Native messaging Audio recording and screen capture Using geolocation
Protect user privacy Permission warning guidelines Stay secure Accessibility (a11y) Localization message formats Give users options
Extension hosting Alternative extension installation methods Installing extensions on Linux Using Google Analytics 4
About Manifest V2 Getting started
What are extensions? What are themes? Frequently asked questions
Extension development overview Manifest file format Architecture overview Declare permissions Design the user interface Debugging extensions Samples
Message passing Content scripts Manage events with background scripts Match patterns Cross-origin isolation
Cross-origin XMLHttpRequest Using eval in Chrome extensions
Overriding Chrome settings Extending DevTools OAuth2: Authenticate users with Google Overriding Chrome pages Rich notifications API
Protect user privacy Declare permissions and warn users Stay secure Accessibility (a11y) Localization message formats Give users options
Chrome Web Store Alternative extension distribution options Installing extensions on Linux Tutorial: Google analytics
Extensions
Welcome What's new in Chrome extensions Get help with Chrome extensions
Welcome Extensions 101 Development basics Run scripts on every page Inject scripts into the active tab Manage tabs Handle events with service workers
Welcome to Manifest V3 Extensions platform vision Overview of Manifest V3
What are themes? Frequently asked questions Extensions quality guidelines FAQ
Migrate to Manifest V3 Manifest V3 migration checklist Update the manifest Migrate to a service worker Update your code Replace blocking web request listeners Improve extension security Manifest V2 support timeline Known issues when migrating to Manifest V3
API reference Samples
Extension development overview Manifest file format Architecture overview Declare permissions About extension service workers Design the user interface Debugging extensions Samples
About extension service workers Extension service worker basics The extension service worker lifecycle Events in service workers Using WebSockets in Service Workers
Message passing Content scripts Match patterns Using promises Cross-origin isolation
Using eval in Chrome extensions
Overriding Chrome settings Extending DevTools Fetching favicons OAuth2: Authenticate users with Google Override Chrome pages Rich notifications API Native messaging Audio recording and screen capture Using geolocation
Protect user privacy Permission warning guidelines Stay secure Accessibility (a11y) Localization message formats Give users options
Extension hosting Alternative extension installation methods Installing extensions on Linux Using Google Analytics 4
About Manifest V2 Getting started
What are extensions? What are themes? Frequently asked questions
Extension development overview Manifest file format Architecture overview Declare permissions Design the user interface Debugging extensions Samples
Message passing Content scripts Manage events with background scripts Match patterns Cross-origin isolation
Cross-origin XMLHttpRequest Using eval in Chrome extensions
Overriding Chrome settings Extending DevTools OAuth2: Authenticate users with Google Overriding Chrome pages Rich notifications API
Protect user privacy Declare permissions and warn users Stay secure Accessibility (a11y) Localization message formats Give users options
Chrome Web Store Alternative extension distribution options Installing extensions on Linux Tutorial: Google analytics

Extension hosting

Published on • Updated on

There are multiple ways to install a Chrome extension, but there are only two officially supported distribution mechanisms.

Chrome Web Store
Chrome Web Store is an online marketplace for Chrome extensions and themes. Developers who register with the Chrome Web Store can publish their extensions and make them available to users across the world. Only extensions hosted on and signed by the Chrome Web Store can be directly installed by users. See Publish in the Chrome Web Store and Enterprise publishing options for more information about how to publish on Chrome Web Store.
Self-hosting
Self hosting is the practice of hosting an extension outside of the Chrome Web Store. This option is used in managed environments where system administrators control Chrome with enterprise policies. See Linux installation for information on how to host an extension on your own server.

In both cases, Chrome periodically checks extension hosts for new versions of installed extensions and automatically updates them without user intervention.

Unpacked extensions should only be used to load trusted code during the development process.

Windows/macOS users can only install self-hosted extensions through enterprise policies. However, Linux users can manually install packed extensions that are not distributed or signed by Chrome Web Store.

Updated on • Improve article

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