CODEWITHSUNDEEP
google-chromegoogle-chrome-extension
Flash Thunder
Flash Thunder

Reputation: 12036

Chrome extension installer executable

Is there ANY way to make an executable that installs a Chrome Extension without putting that extension in the store? Or at least from private collection (so it wouldn't be available for others)?

** Changing Chrome to DEV version or Canarian is not a solution **

Upvotes: 0

Views: 659

Answers (1)

Xan
Xan

Reputation: 77482

Short answer, no, at least not on Windows.

The blog post is pretty unambiguous:

[...] starting in January on the Windows stable and beta channels, we’ll require all extensions to be hosted in the Chrome Web Store.

You can publish an item to Chrome Web Store as "unlisted" and then use the standard procedure to install it programmatically. This will limit exposure of your extension, but won't really prevent people from getting a link to install it (anyone with an installed version can find the web store listing by extension ID and can share it).

If you want to make a truly private extension, you can add server-side license checks. But be aware that no matter the distribution channel, they can be bypassed, since the source code is exposed in a convenient debugger anyway. On the plus side, the same hoops you have to jump through will limit damage from any "cracked" versions.

Upvotes: 1

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