pwasforfirefox.filips.si

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.

PWAsForFirefox installs Progressive Web Apps as standalone apps in Mozilla Firefox by creating a separate, modified Firefox runtime alongside your normal browser. To set it up, install the browser extension first, then follow the in-browser installation instructions; the project's installation page and user guide cover the detailed steps. This is for Firefox users who want app-like, tab-free windows for web apps — it is not needed if you only want normal Firefox tabs.

What gets installed

The project is made up of three parts, and setup creates all of them:

• A command-line tool — installs, manages, and runs PWAs in Firefox.
• A browser extension — sets up the native programs and lets you install, manage, and run PWAs and their profiles from your main Firefox browser.
• An isolated Firefox installation and profile(s) — a separate runtime that stores the PWAs, so your everyday Firefox profile is left alone.

Each installed PWA gets its own start/app menu entry and taskbar icon, opens in its own window, and has no tabs or address bar.

Setup steps

1. Install the browser extension. The project's usage guidance says to start here.
2. Follow the in-browser installation instructions. The extension walks you through setting up the native programs.
3. Let it create the isolated runtime. Setup produces the separate Firefox installation and profile(s) that hold your PWAs. The project supports automatic, user-triggered installation and patching of the installation and profile(s).
4. Install a PWA. Once set up, you install and manage PWAs from the extension in your main Firefox browser.
5. Launch it like an app. The PWA appears in your start/app menu and taskbar and runs in its own window.

For step-by-step detail beyond the above, use the project's installation page and user guide.

Verify it worked

• The PWA has its own entry in the start/app menu and a taskbar icon.
• It opens in a dedicated window with no tabs and no address bar.
• Your normal Firefox installation and profile are unchanged.

Common sticking points

• Skipping the extension. The usage guidance is explicit: install the browser extension and follow the in-browser instructions rather than trying to set things up by hand.
• Expecting it inside your normal Firefox. The PWAs live in the isolated Firefox installation and profile(s), not your everyday profile.
• Setup or usage problems. Check the help section, especially the FAQ page, before troubleshooting further.

What you can install

The project supports installing all websites as Progressive Web Apps, and installed PWAs keep support for all Firefox addons/extensions and built-in Firefox features. A full feature list is on the project's dedicated features page.

Where to go next

• Installation page — installing and setting up the project.
• User guide and related pages — detailed usage instructions.
• Help section and FAQ — setup problems and other questions.
• Repository README — more project details.

PWAsForFirefox provides a command-line tool and a Firefox extension that together let you install, manage, and run Progressive Web Apps in Mozilla Firefox. It works by creating a separate, modified Firefox runtime where each installed PWA runs as a standalone app with its own window, start menu entry, and taskbar icon — filling the gap left by Firefox's lack of native PWA installation.

Core features

Command-line tool

A console tool for installing, managing, and running Progressive Web Apps in Firefox. This is the underlying mechanism the extension drives, and it can also be used directly.

Browser extension

An extension that lets you:

• Set up the native programs the project relies on
• Install, manage, and run PWAs
• Manage PWA profiles directly from your main Firefox browser

The project recommends installing the browser extension and following the in-browser installation instructions.

Isolated Firefox installation and profiles

PWAsForFirefox creates a separate Firefox installation and profile(s) dedicated to storing the PWAs. This keeps installed apps isolated from your main browsing setup.

Standalone app experience

Installed PWAs:

• Have their own start/app menu entry and taskbar icon
• Live in their own window
• Have no tabs and no address bar, for a more app-like feel

Broad compatibility

• Support for installing all websites as Progressive Web Apps
• Support for all Firefox addons/extensions and built-in Firefox features

Automatic installation and patching

Support for automatic, user-triggered installation and patching of the installation and profile(s).

Feature summary

Where to go next

• Installation: check the installation page for setup details.
• Detailed usage: see the user guide and related pages.
• Problems or questions: check the help section, especially the FAQ page.
• Full feature list: available on a dedicated features page.

Firefox supports many Progressive Web App APIs, but it does not support installing a PWA as a standalone system app with an app-like experience. That missing capability — often called a Site Specific Browser (SSB) — is exactly what PWAsForFirefox provides. It does this by creating a custom modified Firefox runtime, then adding a console tool and a browser extension to install, manage, and run PWAs.

What Firefox already does — and what it doesn't

Progressive Web Apps use web APIs and progressive enhancement to deliver a native app-like experience across platforms. Firefox handles a large share of those APIs. What it lacks is the packaging and launch layer: turning a website into its own installable app that opens in a dedicated window, appears in the start/app menu, and behaves like a desktop program rather than a tab.

That gap is the SSB feature. Without it, a site you use constantly still lives inside a normal browser window with tabs and an address bar.

How PWAsForFirefox fills the gap

PWAsForFirefox builds a separate, modified Firefox runtime and an isolated Firefox installation and profile(s) to store the PWAs. On top of that runtime it provides:

• A command-line tool to install, manage, and run PWAs in Firefox.
• A browser extension to set up native programs and to install, manage, and run PWAs and their profiles directly from the main Firefox browser.

The result is that installed PWAs get their own start/app menu entry and taskbar icon, live in their own window, and have no tabs or address bar — the app-like feel Firefox alone doesn't deliver.

What you get once a site is installed

When this is the right tool

Choose PWAsForFirefox if you want to keep using Firefox as your browser but still want certain sites — mail, chat, dashboards, docs — to run as standalone apps with their own window and launcher entry. It is also the practical route if you want those apps isolated from your main browsing profile while retaining Firefox add-on support.

If you are satisfied opening those sites as ordinary tabs, or you already use a browser that installs PWAs natively, the extra runtime and setup may not be worth it.

Getting started

The project's own guidance is to install the browser extension and follow the in-browser installation instructions, with the installation page covering setup details. For day-to-day use, the user guide and related pages cover the workflow. If setup or usage goes wrong, the help section — especially the FAQ page — is the first place to check.

If you run into trouble installing or using PWAsForFirefox, start with the project's help section, and in particular its FAQ page. The site points to the FAQ as the first place to check for setup and usage problems, with the user guide and repository README as supporting references for more detail.

Help resources the project points to

The PWAsForFirefox site lists several places to look when something goes wrong:

• Help section — the site's stated first stop for problems setting up or using the project, and for other questions about it.
• FAQ page — called out specifically within the help section for common setup and usage questions.
• User guide and related pages — the site directs you here for detailed usage instructions.
• Repository README — described as the place for more details about the project.
• About section — also offered for more background on the project.

Which resource to use for which problem

Before you dig in: the intended setup path

The site's usage guidance is to install the browser extension and then follow the in-browser installation instructions, with the installation page covering installation and setup in more detail. If you hit a problem, it helps to confirm you followed that path — extension first, then the in-browser steps — before assuming something is broken.

What the tool is, briefly

PWAsForFirefox is a tool to install, manage, and use Progressive Web Apps in Mozilla Firefox. Firefox supports many PWA APIs but does not support installing them as a standalone system app with an app-like experience — functionality often called a Site Specific Browser (SSB). The project creates a custom modified Firefox runtime so websites can be installed as standalone apps, and provides a console tool plus a browser extension to install, manage, and use them.

Knowing this matters for troubleshooting: installed PWAs run in an isolated Firefox installation and profile(s), have their own start/app menu entry and taskbar icon, live in their own window, and have no tabs or address bar. Problems that look like "missing" browser chrome are by design, not a fault.

Practical notes

• The project supports installing all websites as PWAs, and supports all Firefox addons/extensions and built-in Firefox features — so if an extension behaves unexpectedly inside a PWA, that context is worth mentioning when you consult the FAQ or help section.
• Installation and patching of the installation and profile(s) is automatic but user-triggered, which is useful to know if you are diagnosing a version or update issue.

The site does not describe support channels beyond these documentation resources, so the FAQ and help section remain the concrete starting points.