/dat-fox

dat:// protocol as a Firefox webextension

Primary LanguageJavaScriptMIT LicenseMIT

Dat-Firefox

This is a prototype browser extension which makes dat:// urls function in Firefox using a slightly modified dat-gateway as a bridge to the dat network.

It aims to implement native-like dat support possible in Firefox. This means:

  1. Links to dat:// addresses and sites should work directly. While Webextensions protocol handlers are limited - we cannot show dat:// in the address bar on a loaded page - we can at least properly process the initial URL or link.
  2. Dat site operate on the correct origin. When using the dat-gateway to bridge to the dat network, all dat addresses look like http://localhost:3000/{hash}/path. This has the effect of potentially breaking relative URLs on the page, and also preventing the web's cross-origin policies from preventing data leakage between sites. To fix this we have to make {hash} the origin.

Usage

  1. Grab this fork of dat-gateway and run it:

    git clone https://github.com/sammacbeth/dat-gateway.git
cd dat-gateway
npm install
./bin.js

    ​

  2. Install the extension.

  3. Visit a dat:// URL.

What works

  • Load content from dat archives with the following URL types:
    • dat://{hash}
    • http://{hash}
    • dat://{hostname} (using Dat Discovery)
  • Toggle between https to dat protocol for Dat-enabled sites.

What does not work

Due to limitations in the WebExtensions protocol handler API, non main-frame dat:// urls do not load. For static resources we can circumvent this by rewriting dat:// to http:// in HTML files using a StreamFilter. However, dynamically generated requests will fail.

Any Dat site which relies on the DatArchive will not work.

How it works

  1. The protocol handler redirects dat:// urls to a special handler domain (dat.redirect), passing the full url.
  2. A webRequest listener intercepts requests to this domain and redirects to a http:// URL with the dat key or hostname as the origin.
  3. A proxy PAC file intercepts hostnames matching a dat key pattern, or hostnames the user has explicitly ask to load over dat. Requests for these URLs are proxied via the dat-gateway (acting as a HTTP proxy). This allows us to make 'fake' hostnames work, and create the origins we need for dat sites.