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 stable/beta channel 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 You can still create your own <code>.crx</code> file and use it for testing in the dev channel,
  14 but you can't host that file on your own server.
  15 </p>
  16
  17 <p>
  18 This page tells you how to host <code>.crx</code> files
  19 on your own server.
  20 If you distribute your extension, app, or theme solely through the
  21 <a href="http://chrome.google.com/webstore">Chrome Web Store</a>,
  22 you don't need this page.
  23 Instead, consult the
  24 <a href="http://www.google.com/support/chrome_webstore/">store help</a> and
  25 <a href="http://code.google.com/chrome/webstore/index">developer documentation</a>.
  26 </p>
  27
  28 <p>
  29 By convention, extensions,
  30 installable web apps, and themes are served&mdash;whether
  31 by the Chrome Web Store or by a custom server&mdash;as
  32 <code>.crx</code> files.
  33 When you upload a ZIP file with the
  34 <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/developer/dashboard">Chrome Developer Dashboard</a>,
  35 the dashboard creates the <code>.crx</code> file for you.
  36 </p>
  37
  38 <p>
  39 If you aren't publishing using the dashboard,
  40 you need to create the <code>.crx</code> file yourself,
  41 as described in <a href="packaging">Packaging</a>.
  42 You can also specify
  43 <a href="autoupdate">autoupdate</a> information to ensure that
  44 your users will have the latest copy of the <code>.crx</code> file.
  45 </p>
  46
  47 <p>
  48 A server that hosts <code>.crx</code> files
  49 must use appropriate HTTP headers,
  50 so that users can install the file
  51 by clicking a link to it.
  52 </p>
  53
  54 <p>
  55 Google Chrome considers a file to be installable
  56 if <b>either</b> of the following is true:
  57 </p>
  58
  59 <ul>
  60   <li>
  61     The file has the content type
  62     <code>application/x-chrome-extension</code>
  63   </li>
  64   <li>
  65     The file suffix is <code>.crx</code>
  66     and <b>both</b> of the following are true:
  67     <ul>
  68       <li>
  69         The file <b>is not</b> served with
  70         the HTTP header <code>X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff</code>
  71       </li>
  72       <li>
  73         The file <b>is</b> served
  74         with one of the following content types:
  75         <ul>
  76           <li> empty string </li>
  77           <li> "text/plain" </li>
  78           <li> "application/octet-stream" </li>
  79           <li> "unknown/unknown" </li>
  80           <li> "application/unknown" </li>
  81           <li> "*/*" </li>
  82         </ul>
  83       </li>
  84     </ul>
  85   </li>
  86 </ul>
  87
  88 <p>
  89 The most common reason for failing to recognize an installable file
  90 is that the server sends the header
  91 <code>X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff</code>.
  92 The second most common reason
  93 is that the server sends an unknown content type&mdash;one
  94 that isn't in the previous list.
  95 To fix an HTTP header issue,
  96 either change the configuration of the server
  97 or try hosting the <code>.crx</code> file at another server.
  98 </p>