chrome/common/extensions/docs/templates/articles/hosting.html

   1 <h1>Hosting</h1>
   2
   3 <p class="warning"><b>Warning:</b>
   4 As of Chrome 33,
   5 Windows users can only download extensions
   6 hosted in the Chrome Web store,
   7 except for installs via
   8 <a href="https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/188453">enterprise policy</a>
   9 or
  10 <a href="getstarted#unpacked">developer mode</a>
  11  (see
  12  <a href="http://blog.chromium.org/2013/11/protecting-windows-users-from-malicious.html">Protecting Windows users from malicious extensions</a>).
  13 As of Chrome 44, no external installs are allowed from a path to a local .crx on Mac
  14 (see
  15 <a href="http://blog.chromium.org/2015/05/continuing-to-protect-chrome-users-from.html">Continuing to protect Chrome users from malicious extensions</a>).
  16 </p>
  17
  18 <p>
  19 This page tells you how to host <code>.crx</code> files
  20 on your own server.
  21 If you distribute your extension, app, or theme solely through the
  22 <a href="http://chrome.google.com/webstore">Chrome Web Store</a>,
  23 you don't need this page.
  24 Instead, consult the
  25 <a href="https://support.google.com/chrome_webstore/">store help</a> and
  26 <a href="http://code.google.com/chrome/webstore/index">developer documentation</a>.
  27 </p>
  28
  29 <p>
  30 By convention, extensions,
  31 installable web apps, and themes are served&mdash;whether
  32 by the Chrome Web Store or by a custom server&mdash;as
  33 <code>.crx</code> files.
  34 When you upload a ZIP file with the
  35 <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/developer/dashboard">Chrome Developer Dashboard</a>,
  36 the dashboard creates the <code>.crx</code> file for you.
  37 </p>
  38
  39 <p>
  40 If you aren't publishing using the dashboard,
  41 you need to create the <code>.crx</code> file yourself,
  42 as described in <a href="packaging">Packaging</a>.
  43 You can also specify
  44 <a href="autoupdate">autoupdate</a> information to ensure that
  45 your users will have the latest copy of the <code>.crx</code> file.
  46 </p>
  47
  48 <p>
  49 A server that hosts <code>.crx</code> files
  50 must use appropriate HTTP headers,
  51 so that users can install the file
  52 by clicking a link to it.
  53 </p>
  54
  55 <p>
  56 Google Chrome considers a file to be installable
  57 if <b>either</b> of the following is true:
  58 </p>
  59
  60 <ul>
  61   <li>
  62     The file has the content type
  63     <code>application/x-chrome-extension</code>
  64   </li>
  65   <li>
  66     The file suffix is <code>.crx</code>
  67     and <b>both</b> of the following are true:
  68     <ul>
  69       <li>
  70         The file <b>is not</b> served with
  71         the HTTP header <code>X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff</code>
  72       </li>
  73       <li>
  74         The file <b>is</b> served
  75         with one of the following content types:
  76         <ul>
  77           <li> empty string </li>
  78           <li> "text/plain" </li>
  79           <li> "application/octet-stream" </li>
  80           <li> "unknown/unknown" </li>
  81           <li> "application/unknown" </li>
  82           <li> "*/*" </li>
  83         </ul>
  84       </li>
  85     </ul>
  86   </li>
  87 </ul>
  88
  89 <p>
  90 The most common reason for failing to recognize an installable file
  91 is that the server sends the header
  92 <code>X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff</code>.
  93 The second most common reason
  94 is that the server sends an unknown content type&mdash;one
  95 that isn't in the previous list.
  96 To fix an HTTP header issue,
  97 either change the configuration of the server
  98 or try hosting the <code>.crx</code> file at another server.
  99 </p>