What is PWAsForFirefox?

Updated

PWAsForFirefox is a tool that lets Mozilla Firefox install, manage, and run Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as standalone applications. It exists because Firefox supports many PWA-related web APIs but does not natively support installing a website as a standalone system app with an app-like experience — functionality often called a Site Specific Browser (SSB). The project works around this by creating a custom modified Firefox runtime, paired with a console tool and a browser extension.

How it works

The project does not add PWA installation to your existing Firefox profile. Instead, it sets up a separate, isolated Firefox installation and profile(s) dedicated to hosting the installed PWAs. A command-line tool and a browser extension sit on top of that runtime to install, manage, and launch the apps.

In practice, that means:

  • A command-line tool handles installing, managing, and running PWAs.
  • A browser extension lets you set up the native programs and install, manage, and run PWAs and their profiles directly from your main Firefox browser.
  • The isolated Firefox installation and profile(s) store the PWAs separately from your normal browsing setup.

What installed PWAs look like

Once installed, each PWA behaves more like a native application than a browser tab:

  • It gets its own start/app menu entry and taskbar icon.
  • It runs in its own window.
  • It has no tabs and no address bar, which gives it a cleaner, app-like feel.

Features

According to the project's feature list, PWAsForFirefox supports:

  • Installing, managing, and running PWAs in Firefox via the command-line tool.
  • Setting up native programs and managing PWAs and their profiles from the main Firefox browser via the extension.
  • Installing all websites as Progressive Web Apps, not just ones that formally declare PWA support.
  • All Firefox addons/extensions and built-in Firefox features inside the installed PWAs.
  • Automatic, user-triggered installation and patching of the installation and profile(s).

When to use it

PWAsForFirefox is relevant if you want app-like, standalone windows for web apps but prefer to stay on Firefox rather than switching to a browser with built-in PWA installation. It is a fit when you want:

  • Web apps to open in their own window without tabs or an address bar.
  • A separate environment for those apps, isolated from your regular Firefox profile.
  • The ability to install any website as an app, including sites that are not full PWAs.
  • Your existing Firefox extensions and features available inside those apps.

If you only need occasional access to a web app inside a normal tab, the extra setup of a separate runtime and profile is probably more than you need.

Getting started

The project's own guidance is to install the browser extension and follow the in-browser installation instructions, then consult the installation page for setup details and the user guide for day-to-day usage. If you run into setup or usage problems, the help section — especially the FAQ page — is the intended first stop.

Supporters

The project notes that packagecloud.io sponsors it by providing free hosting for its DEB and RPM packages, and it also credits SignPath among its supporters.