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This tip is about the how to configure and install Mozilla FireFox on Debian 11 Bullseye. So read this free guide, How to configure and install Mozilla FireFox on Debian 11 Bullseye. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.
How to configure and install Mozilla FireFox on Debian 11 Bullseye – Guide
Debian uses Firefox ESR, the Extended Support Release, as its default browser. Its main purpose is to fix bugs, security fixes and policy updates, while accepting important updates with new ones features every 42 weeks. It is very useful for school or business use. Although, for personal computers or those who choose the latest features, Mozilla offers the “Rapid release” channel with updates every month!
Option #1: Install the latest stable Firefox (not ESR) on Debian using Flathub’s Firefox flatpak package
With Firefox 75, Mozilla’s browser has gained support for flatpak and is available from the Flathub repository. This can be used on many Linux distributions, including any version of Debian.
Note that Firefox installed from flatpak is protected, which can cause some issues with accessing local files and opening files with external applications, at least for now. However, the restricted area also offers better security.
1. To install this Firefox package, the first thing to do is install flatpak, if you haven’t already:
sudo apt install flatpak
2. If you use the GNOME Software application, you can also install the flatpak plugin for it (this allows you to browse flatpak applications and update them):
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
3. Then add the Flathub repository using:
flatpak remote-add –if-not-existing flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
4. At this point, it is recommended to restart the system.
5. You can now install the latest Firefox (not ESR) on Debian using:
flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox
Option #2: Install the latest version of Firefox on Debian Stable or Test using the Debian Unstable repository
The “unstable” Debian archive (codename Sid) is like an ongoing development release of Debian that will always be used as the unstable branch. This is where packages go after their maintainer loads them and they are released for release by the FTP master. The name “unstable” does not necessarily mean that the packages are unstable, but that they are less tested, which is to be expected since they are new packages.
Debian 10 Buster (Stable) and Testing (Bullseye) only have Firefox ESR in their repositories, while Debian Unstable has the latest normal version of Firefox (not ESR) and Firefox ESR.
The advantage of using Firefox installed this way over the other solution mentioned below is that you can install Firefox maintained by Debian, which includes Debian-specific patches.
Using the instructions below, we will add the Debian Unstable repository to Debian Stable or Testing, then we will set a low pin priority for the Unstable repository so that you cannot install packages automatically unless you specify this manually. This way, the normal version of Firefox will only be installed or updated when you run the installation command mentioned below.
Other packages (except Firefox dependencies) from this Unstable repository are also not installed automatically, so you will continue to use Debian Stable or Testing (depending on what you are using). This article also contains instructions to completely undo this.
1. Add the Debian Unstable repository in Debian 10 Buster (Stable) or Debian Bullseye (Testing).
Start by opening /etc/apt/sources.list as root with a text editor such as Nano:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
At the final of this file (do not modify anything), add the following line:
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free
After adding this, save the file and exit the text editor (if using Nano, press Ctrl + O followed by Enter to save the file and exit Nano using Ctrl + X).
2. Set a low pin priority for the Debian Unstable repository so that your system does not automatically install packages unless you specify this manually.
Create and open a /etc/apt/preferences.d/99pin-unstable file as root with a text editor, for example using the Nano command line text editor:
sudo nano /etc/apt/preferences.d/99pin-unstable
Paste the following into this file:
Package: * Pin: release a = stablePin-Priority: 900
Package: * Pin: release a = unstablePin-Priority: 10
After adding this, save the file and exit the text editor (if using Nano, press Ctrl + O, then press Enter to save the file and exit using Ctrl + X).
3. Install the latest regular Firefox (not ESR) on Debian 10 Buster (Stable) or Testing (Bullseye).
Now you can install the latest normal Firefox on Debian 10 Buster (stable) or Bullseye (test):
sudo apt updatesudo apt install -t unstable firefox
Final note
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