LibRedirect – privacy frontend solution.
Posted Apr 23, 2025 09:56 AM
I wanted to share something really useful I’ve been using for a while now — it’s called LibRedirect, and it’s one of those extensions you never knew you needed until you try it.Let me explain what it does and why it matters.
Why I Ditched YouTube (sort of)
So, like most people, I used to watch YouTube straight from youtube.com. Problem?
Google sees everything. Whether you’re signed in or not, they log your IP, track your habits with JavaScript, and build a profile on you. Even if you use Tor — JavaScript still leaks info like crazy. (Check this or this and prepare to be creeped out.)
“Easy fix,” I thought. “Just turn off JavaScript.”
Boom. Now YouTube is completely broken. Nice. 😑
Then I found Invidious — a frontend that lets you watch YouTube without any JavaScript at all. It pulls the video content from YouTube, but presents it in a clean, privacy-respecting way. Example:
https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
So What Does LibRedirect Do?
Okay, cool — now we have Invidious. But changing every YouTube link manually? No thanks.
LibRedirect automatically replaces the URLs of big websites with their privacy-friendly counterparts. You click a YouTube link → it takes you to Invidious. Twitter? → Nitter. Reddit? → Libreddit or Teddit.
It’s seamless and automatic.
Not everything makes the cut though. Projects like PixivMoe or Startpage already have their own tools or don’t qualify as true “frontends.”
About Permissions – Are They Safe?
Yes — and here’s what they’re for:
- webRequest/webRequestBlocking – For catching and redirecting URLs in real-time.
- storage – So your settings are saved.
- Clipboard.writeText – For the “Copy Raw Link” button only. It writes, not reads.
- menus/bookmarks – Adds right-click options for easier access.
- all_urls – Needed to monitor all potential redirect targets.
Nothing shady going on. You can even check the code — it’s open source.
Where Do the Instances Come From?
Each frontend (like Invidious, Piped, etc.) has a list of public servers. LibRedirect fetches these automatically every day with a Python script.
They don’t tamper with the lists — just remove broken URLs.
If you spot a sketchy instance, let the frontend’s maintainers know. LibRedirect will only intervene manually if it’s a big security risk.
Why Some Embeds Break
Sometimes embeds just… don’t work. That’s usually because:
- The site uses strict Content Security Policy headers
- The embed includes a custom player or ads
- Some instances just don’t support embeds
- LibRedirect disables embeds by default to reduce tracking
Chrome Web Store Drama
LibRedirect isn’t on the Chrome Web Store because of Google’s push for Manifest V3 — which removes key functionality.
You can still install it manually though.
Good news: Firefox is keeping support for those needed features, and if other browsers adopt Mozilla’s Manifest, LibRedirect might hit the Web Store again.
Manifest V2 vs V3 – Why It Matters
V2 (what LibRedirect uses):
- Can run JS logic to decide how to redirect on the fly
- Supports things like randomly selecting a mirror or fetching data before redirecting
V3 (what Chrome forces now):
- Relies on static rules — faster but way less flexible
- Can’t dynamically choose a redirect or make extra HTTP requests
Basically, V3 is fine for simple stuff, but not good enough for how LibRedirect works right now.
Links
Official site: https://libredirect.github.io
Hope this helps someone out! If you care even a little about privacy but don’t want to sacrifice usability, LibRedirect is a must-have.
