In this guide, we will share about Firefox Beta, Nightly, Developer & Aurora editions. At the initial stage of the internet, the onus of software testing used to be on the company. However, as things advanced, the internet became more mainstream, more accessible, and more people wanted to shape the future of the software they used in their daily life. Mozilla follows the same pattern, pushing out different versions of Firefox. These versions are different from the consumer version. They are mostly available to find bugs and improve the Firefox Browser.
Firefox Beta, Nightly, Developer & Aurora editions
The best part of these versions is that anybody can install them. However, do know that their stability index ranks from being highly unstable to usable with bugs state. So if you choose to install it, be ready to face the bugs.
What is Firefox Nightly Edition
If you are interested in trying a version of Firefox that has not been released and is only stages of development, Nightly Edition is for you. It’s very unstable and gets an update twice a day to be exact. From a developer’s perspective, the code is written by Mozilla core developers. They are later merged into a common code repository (Mozilla-central). The code is compiled to create a pre-release version of Firefox. When the code matures, they are moved into Beta and Developer versions of Firefox.
During the testing and development, this version, i.e., Nightly sends data to Mozilla, and sometimes our partners to help Mozilla handle problems and try ideas. For example, every time a nightly build crashes, data is sent back to the Mozilla servers.
What is Firefox Developer Edition
As codes mature, Developer Edition comes into the picture. It only carries codes and features with an experimental tag. Stable than Nightly build. What makes it stand out from Beta edition is that it carries some settings. One can use to test for the development of add-ons, websites, and so on. It also includes DevTools which are useful for product development around Firefox. Here is the list of things you can find in Developer Edition.
- The latest Firefox features
- Separate developer profile. This is useful when you want to run Firefox Beta and Developer mode together.
- The tools include Firefox Tools Adapter
- Chrome and remote debugging are on by default in the Developer Edition.
- A distinct theme.
- New features are stabilized for 12 weeks. Then they are made available in the stable version of Firefox.
This Developer Edition makes sure to send data to Mozilla and partners as well.
What is Firefox Beta Edition
This version is much more stable, and if you are just an enthusiast who would like to test out new features or even have a look at it, Firefox Beta is for you. You can also call it one but the final release of Firefox. Once the bugs are ironed out, Mozilla puts the final tweaks on performance and functionality in a stable environment.
You should know that Firefox Beta and Developer are almost the same, except that later is meant for developers only. So if you installed both, and not able to distinguish much between them, then that’s the deal. Tools and features which we shared above are what differentiate both versions on a broader level.
What is Firefox Aurora Edition
Aurora was a channel between the Nightly builds and Beta versions. It came to an end in April 2017. This channel was a channel between the nightly builds from Mozilla-central and beta versions from Mozilla-beta.
This explains clearly how these versions or editions differ from each. Unless you are really into development, skip Developer and Nightly mode. It’s always best to choose the Beta and Stable version for your regular usage. You can download Firefox Beta, Nightly, and Developer editions from here.
Now read: What are Chrome Stable, Beta, Dev, and Canary Release Channels.
