Browser extensions
The browser extensions I can't live without!
Browser extensions add great functionality to your browser, but it's important to keep it light and minimal for two reasons.
- It reduces the attack surface. Adding random, untrusted browser extensions can turn malicious. An example could be a browser extension could recognise you are copying a bitcoin address, but when you go to paste it, it pastes the address of a malicious actor instead.
- It makes you stand out in the crowd. The more extensions you have, the less you are able to hide, as the browser has more of a unique fingerprint. This is why browsers such as LibreWolf recommend the use of minimal addons.
Extensions I use
- Bitwarden Password Manager: This is the first extension I install on a new browser installation. I need this to access all my accounts. The CTRL+SHIFT+L keyboard shortcut seamlessly auto-fills my usernames/passwords across all sites I need to log in to.
- DarkReader: This extension is great for my eyes. By default, every website I visit will be in dark mode. I have ALT+SHIFT+A set as a keyboard toggle that turns the dark mode off on a specific website if I don't want it.
- Vimium: This allows me to navigate the browser with the keyboard, minimising the use of the mouse. The keyboard shortcuts follow similar functionality to popular text editor Vim.
Browser
I've recently started using Brave as my daily driver based on a recommendation from a friend. Prior to Brave, I was using LibreWolf which I was overall happy with as well.
Some features I like about Brave:
- Fast, responsive, snappy. Not only do websites tend to load faster, but so does opening the browser on first startup.
- Built-in ad and tracker blocking. Brave handles the ad-blocking very well and doesn't need the Ublock Origin addon.
- Lots of customisation. Plenty of settings to explore and discover to enhance browsing experience.
- Open source, up to date with security vulnerabilities and bug fixes.
Some areas I don't like about Brave:
- The shitcoin wallet, token and other integrations. Thankfully, all of these can be turned off and hidden.
- No containers. One great feature is Firefox Containers, which allows you to compartmentalise your browsing. If you're logged in on one tab with Brave, you're logged in on all tabs. Annoying.
- It's a chromium based browser, which adds to Google's monopoly of the web.
