Create a Simple Chrome Extension: A Step-by-Step Guide

Chrome extensions are a great way to enhance the browser’s functionality, personalize your browsing experience, and automate repetitive tasks. Whether you want to block ads, add new features, or integrate web services into your browser, Chrome extensions can help you achieve this.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of creating a simple Chrome extension that changes the background color of a webpage when clicked. By the end, you’ll understand the basic structure of Chrome extensions and how to build one.

What is a Chrome Extension?

A Chrome extension is essentially a small software program that customizes your browsing experience. It’s made up of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with a special manifest.json file that tells Chrome how to use the resources.

Step 1: Set Up Your Project Folder

Start by creating a project folder for your extension. Let’s call it MyFirstExtension.

MyFirstExtension/
    ├── manifest.json
    ├── popup.js
    ├── popup.html
    └── icon.png

Step 2: Create manifest.json

The manifest.json file is the heart of your Chrome extension. It contains metadata about the extension (name…