Simple Firewall For Your Browser

Warning

The extension has not received external security review and may contain vulnerabilities. Do not use for sensitive use cases, and do not rely on its security until it has been reviewed. Work in progress.

Firefox extension that provides advanced filtering capabilities with GeoIP, ASN, domain, URL, and content blocking. It serves as a simple firewall for privacy and security. Available on Firefox Add-ons Store.

Important

A MaxMind License key is required to enable GeoIP and ASN blocking features. Create a free account, then generate your license key here.

• Features
• Installation
  • Method 1: Install from Mozilla Add-ons (Recommended)
  • Method 2: Install from GitHub (.xpi file)
    • For Desktop (Firefox)
    • For Android (Firefox)
• Architecture and Dependencies
  • Technology Stack
  • Dependencies
  • Bundle Analysis
• Building and Publishing
  • Prerequisites
  • Building from Source
  • Publishing a New Release
• Contributing

Features

VETO gives you fine-grained control over your browsing experience by allowing you to:

• GeoIP Filtering: Block or allow web requests based on the geographic location of the server
• ASN Blocking: Filter traffic from specific Autonomous System Numbers (network providers)
• Domain & URL Filtering: Create rules to block or allow specific domains and URLs
• Content Blocking: Filter out unwanted content from websites
• Simple Interface: Easy-to-use popup interface to manage all filtering rules

To use GeoIP and ASN filtering features you need a free MaxMind account:

1. Sign up here
2. Generate a license key
3. Enter this key in VETO settings
4. Click "Save" to save your license key

Installation

Method 1: Install from Mozilla Add-ons (Recommended)

1. Open Firefox on your desktop or Android device;
2. Visit the VETO Add-on page on AMO;
3. Click Add to Firefox;
4. When prompted, click Add to confirm the installation;
5. Follow any on-screen instructions to complete setup.

Method 2: Install from GitHub (.xpi file)

Download the latest signed .xpi extension file from our GitHub releases page, then follow the appropriate instructions for your device:

For Desktop (Firefox)

1. Open Firefox;
2. Go to about:addons by entering it in the address bar, or navigate to Settings > Extensions & Themes > Extensions;
3. Click the gear icon (⚙️) at the top right;
4. Select Install Add-on From File...;
5. Locate and select the .xpi file you downloaded earlier;
6. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

For Android (Firefox)

1. Open Firefox on your Android device;
2. Tap the three-dot menu and go to Settings;
3. Scroll down and select About Firefox;
4. Rapidly tap the Firefox logo five times to enable the Debug menu;
5. Without closing Firefox, return to Settings;
6. Tap Install extension from file (now visible in the menu);
7. Locate and select the .xpi file you downloaded earlier;
8. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation.

Architecture And Dependencies

The extension follows a service-based architecture:

• Service Layer: Core functionality organized into services:
  • StorageService: Manages all browser storage operations
  • RuleService: Handles rule management and processing
  • NetworkService: Manages DNS resolution and network operations
  • MaxMindService: Handles GeoIP and ASN database operations
  • EventService: Coordinates browser events and message handling
• Background Script: Initializes services and connects components
• Popup Interface: User interface for managing rules and settings
• Utility Modules: Handle specialized functions and provide helpers

Technology Stack

• TypeScript: Core language for development
• Webpack: Module bundling
• ESLint: Code quality and style enforcement
• Mozilla Web Extensions API: For browser integration

Dependencies

The extension uses several key technologies:

• Mozilla's WebExtension API: For browser integration
• declarativeNetRequest API: For efficient network request filtering
• Storage API: For storing user preferences and rules
• DNS API: For domain name resolution

Bundle Analysis

Building and Publishing

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+)
• npm or yarn

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/veto-firewall/veto.git
   cd veto

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Build the extension:

   npm run package

4. The built extension will be available in the dist directory

Publishing a New Release

The release process is fully automated through GitHub Actions:

1. Go to the Actions tab in the GitHub repository
2. Select the "Release" workflow
3. Click on "Run workflow" and provide the following inputs:
   • Version type: Choose between patch, minor, or major to determine how the version number should be incremented
   • Distribution channel: Select listed for public distribution or unlisted for private distribution

The workflow (.github/workflows/release.yml) will automatically:

• Update the version in package.json and src/manifest.json
• Build the extension
• Sign the extension with Mozilla's Web-Ext API
• Create a GitHub release with:
  • Source code archive
  • Unsigned extension package (zip)
  • Signed extension package (xpi)
  • Checksums for all files
• Submit the extension to Firefox Add-ons with the specified distribution channel

No manual steps are required as the entire process from version bumping to Firefox submission is handled by the workflow.

Use cases

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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Enjoy!