Features/Desktop/Downloads API

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Status

Downloads API
Stage	Landed
Status	In progress
Release target	Firefox 26
Health	OK
Status note	https://wiki.mozilla.org/Performance#Downloads_API_Rewrite

{{#set:Feature name=Downloads API

|Feature stage=Landed |Feature status=In progress |Feature version=Firefox 26 |Feature health=OK |Feature status note=https://wiki.mozilla.org/Performance#Downloads_API_Rewrite }}

Team

Product manager	`
Directly Responsible Individual	Paolo Amadini
Lead engineer	Paolo Amadini
Security lead	`
Privacy lead	`
Localization lead	`
Accessibility lead	`
QA lead	`
UX lead	`
Product marketing lead	`
Operations lead	`
Additional members	Neil Deakin, Felipe Gomes, Raymond Lee, Mihai Morar

{{#set:Feature product manager=`

|Feature feature manager=Paolo Amadini |Feature lead engineer=Paolo Amadini |Feature security lead=` |Feature privacy lead=` |Feature localization lead=` |Feature accessibility lead=` |Feature qa lead=` |Feature ux lead=` |Feature product marketing lead=` |Feature operations lead=` |Feature additional members=Neil Deakin, Felipe Gomes, Raymond Lee, Mihai Morar }}

Open issues/risks

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Stage 1: Definition

1. Feature overview

The current storage back-end for downloads, based on the synchronous nsIDownloadManager interface and an associated SQLite database, causes noticeable performance issues when starting and finishing downloads.

The new Downloads API will improve the responsiveness of Firefox for Desktop, by removing the main-thread I/O caused by access to downloads.sqlite.

2. Users & use cases

The Downloads Panel is the main user of the Downloads API in Firefox for Desktop. Since the new API is part of Toolkit, other Mozilla products will be able to adopt it for improved performance.

3. Dependencies

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4. Requirements

The concrete goal is to ensure that SQL statements involving moz_downloads no longer appear in the "slow SQL" Telemetry dashboard.

Non-goals

This feature does not involve changes to the user interface and interaction model. Minor changes in behavior are expected, because the API is a complete reimplementation of the back-end.

Stage 2: Design

5. Functional specification

The overall design is documented in the download architecture improvements page.

6. User experience design

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Stage 3: Planning

7. Implementation plan

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8. Reviews

Security review

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Privacy review

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Localization review

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Accessibility

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Quality Assurance review

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Operations review

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Stage 4: Development

9. Implementation

Bugs list and patch queue

Feature tracking bug:

• bug 825588 (covers work across all Mozilla products)

Key implementation bugs:

• bug 847863: Use the JavaScript API instead of nsIDownloadManager as the back-end for the panel.

Additional steps needed to test the feature:

• In Firefox 25, the feature can be enabled by toggling the browser.download.useJSTransfer preference and restarting.
  • This is only useful for early testing by add-on developers, as the feature is not ready in Firefox 25.
• In Firefox 26, the feature is enabled by default.

Work required to release and enable the feature for everyone:

• Work is completed and the feature is now enabled.

Stage 5: Release

10. Landing criteria

` {{#set:Feature open issues and risks=` |Feature overview=The current storage back-end for downloads, based on the synchronous nsIDownloadManager interface and an associated SQLite database, causes noticeable performance issues when starting and finishing downloads.

The new Downloads API will improve the responsiveness of Firefox for Desktop, by removing the main-thread I/O caused by access to downloads.sqlite. |Feature users and use cases=The Downloads Panel is the main user of the Downloads API in Firefox for Desktop. Since the new API is part of Toolkit, other Mozilla products will be able to adopt it for improved performance. |Feature dependencies=` |Feature requirements=The concrete goal is to ensure that SQL statements involving moz_downloads no longer appear in the "slow SQL" Telemetry dashboard. |Feature non-goals=This feature does not involve changes to the user interface and interaction model. Minor changes in behavior are expected, because the API is a complete reimplementation of the back-end. |Feature functional spec=The overall design is documented in the download architecture improvements page. |Feature ux design=` |Feature implementation plan=` |Feature security review=` |Feature privacy review=` |Feature localization review=` |Feature accessibility review=` |Feature qa review=` |Feature operations review=` |Feature implementation notes===== Bugs list and patch queue ====

Feature tracking bug:

• bug 825588 (covers work across all Mozilla products)

Key implementation bugs:

• bug 847863: Use the JavaScript API instead of nsIDownloadManager as the back-end for the panel.

Additional steps needed to test the feature:

• In Firefox 25, the feature can be enabled by toggling the browser.download.useJSTransfer preference and restarting.
  • This is only useful for early testing by add-on developers, as the feature is not ready in Firefox 25.
• In Firefox 26, the feature is enabled by default.

Work required to release and enable the feature for everyone:

• Work is completed and the feature is now enabled.

|Feature landing criteria=` }}

Feature details

Priority	Unprioritized
Rank	999
Theme / Goal	`
Roadmap	`
Secondary roadmap	`
Feature list	Desktop
Project	Responsiveness
Engineering team	Desktop front-end

{{#set:Feature priority=Unprioritized

|Feature rank=999 |Feature theme=` |Feature roadmap=` |Feature secondary roadmap=` |Feature list=Desktop |Feature project=Responsiveness |Feature engineering team=Desktop front-end }}

Team status notes

	status	notes
Products	`	`
Engineering	`	`
Security	sec-review-needed	assigned to mgoodwin to look at via sec-review? in bug 825588
Privacy	`	`
Localization	`	`
Accessibility	`	`
Quality assurance	`	`
User experience	`	`
Product marketing	`	`
Operations	`	`

{{#set:Feature products status=`

|Feature products notes=` |Feature engineering status=` |Feature engineering notes=` |Feature security status=sec-review-needed |Feature security health=OK |Feature security notes=assigned to mgoodwin to look at via sec-review? in bug 825588 |Feature privacy status=` |Feature privacy notes=` |Feature localization status=` |Feature localization notes=` |Feature accessibility status=` |Feature accessibility notes=` |Feature qa status=` |Feature qa notes=` |Feature ux status=` |Feature ux notes=` |Feature product marketing status=` |Feature product marketing notes=` |Feature operations status=` |Feature operations notes=` }}