Mozilla has announced plans to integrate cloud synchronization features into an upcoming major version of the Firefox Web browser. The functionality is based on Weave, an experimental add-on that was incubated in Mozilla Labs.
The Weave project was originally launched in 2007 to support bookmark synchronization. It has gained many compelling features over the years, including a mobile version and support for accessing remote tabs. Mozilla has decided that Weave is finally ready to emerge from the lab and become an official part of the organization's open source Web browser.
To signify official support, Mozilla has renamed the Weave add-on, which is now called Firefox Sync. The new version of the add-on also has improved support for remote tab access and a more streamlined sign-up process. Users who want the synchronization features today can install the add-on in the current stable version of Firefox.
Browser synchronization is not new; there are a number of popular third-party add-ons for Firefox that have offered similar functionality since before Weave existed. What differentiates Mozilla's sync offering from the alternatives is that it is both open and secure. The user's data is fully encrypted by default before it is transmitted to the servers, which means that it is not accessible to Mozilla itself and will not be readable if the organization's servers are ever compromised.
Mozilla recently published documentation that describes how third-party applications can securely synchronize their own data on top of the service or securely access the user's Firefox data. Because the data is all encrypted, client applications will need to obtain a key from the user.
Mozilla developed an iPhone application that is designed to interoperate with the sync service. It demonstrates how the sync APIs can make the user's bookmarks accessible on practically any programmable platform or device.
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