chrome.vpnProvider

Description

Use the chrome.vpnProvider API to implement a VPN client.

Permissions

vpnProvider

Availability

Chrome 43+ ChromeOS only

Usage

Typical usage of vpnProvider is as follows:

  • Create VPN configurations using the createConfig method. A VPN configuration is a persistent entry shown to the user in a native ChromeOS UI. The user can select a VPN configuration from a list and connect to it or disconnect from it.

  • Add listeners to the events onPlatformMessage, onPacketReceived and onConfigRemoved.

  • When the user connects to the VPN configuration, onPlatformMessage will be received with the message "connected". We refer to the period between the messages "connected" and "disconnected" as a VPN session. In this time period, the extension that receives the message is said to own the VPN session.

  • Initiate connection to the VPN server and start the VPN client.

  • Set the Parameters of the connection using setParameters.

  • Notify the connection state as "connected" using notifyConnectionStateChanged.

  • When the steps above are completed without errors, a virtual tunnel is created to the network stack of ChromeOS. IP packets can be sent through the tunnel using sendPacket and any packets originating on the ChromeOS device will be received using the event onPacketReceived.

  • When the user disconnects from the VPN configuration, onPlatformMessage will be fired with the message "disconnected".

  • If the VPN configuration is no longer necessary, it can be destroyed using destroyConfig.

Types

Parameters

Properties

  • address

    string

    IP address for the VPN interface in CIDR notation. IPv4 is currently the only supported mode.

  • broadcastAddress

    string optional

    Broadcast address for the VPN interface. (default: deduced from IP address and mask)

  • dnsServers

    string[]

    A list of IPs for the DNS servers.

  • domainSearch

    string[] optional

    A list of search domains. (default: no search domain)

  • exclusionList

    string[]

    Exclude network traffic to the list of IP blocks in CIDR notation from the tunnel. This can be used to bypass traffic to and from the VPN server. When many rules match a destination, the rule with the longest matching prefix wins. Entries that correspond to the same CIDR block are treated as duplicates. Such duplicates in the collated (exclusionList + inclusionList) list are eliminated and the exact duplicate entry that will be eliminated is undefined.

  • inclusionList

    string[]

    Include network traffic to the list of IP blocks in CIDR notation to the tunnel. This parameter can be used to set up a split tunnel. By default no traffic is directed to the tunnel. Adding the entry "0.0.0.0/0" to this list gets all the user traffic redirected to the tunnel. When many rules match a destination, the rule with the longest matching prefix wins. Entries that correspond to the same CIDR block are treated as duplicates. Such duplicates in the collated (exclusionList + inclusionList) list are eliminated and the exact duplicate entry that will be eliminated is undefined.

  • mtu

    string optional

    MTU setting for the VPN interface. (default: 1500 bytes)

  • reconnect

    string optional

    Chrome 51+

    Whether or not the VPN extension implements auto-reconnection.

    If true, the linkDown, linkUp, linkChanged, suspend, and resume platform messages will be used to signal the respective events. If false, the system will forcibly disconnect the VPN if the network topology changes, and the user will need to reconnect manually. (default: false)

    This property is new in Chrome 51; it will generate an exception in earlier versions. try/catch can be used to conditionally enable the feature based on browser support.

PlatformMessage

The enum is used by the platform to notify the client of the VPN session status.

Enum

"connected"
Indicates that the VPN configuration connected.

"disconnected"
Indicates that the VPN configuration disconnected.

"error"
Indicates that an error occurred in VPN connection, for example a timeout. A description of the error is given as the error argument to onPlatformMessage.

"linkDown"
Indicates that the default physical network connection is down.

"linkUp"
Indicates that the default physical network connection is back up.

"linkChanged"
Indicates that the default physical network connection changed, e.g. wifi->mobile.

"suspend"
Indicates that the OS is preparing to suspend, so the VPN should drop its connection. The extension is not guaranteed to receive this event prior to suspending.

"resume"
Indicates that the OS has resumed and the user has logged back in, so the VPN should try to reconnect.

UIEvent

The enum is used by the platform to indicate the event that triggered onUIEvent.

Enum

"showAddDialog"
Requests that the VPN client show the add configuration dialog box to the user.

"showConfigureDialog"
Requests that the VPN client show the configuration settings dialog box to the user.

VpnConnectionState

The enum is used by the VPN client to inform the platform of its current state. This helps provide meaningful messages to the user.

Enum

"connected"
Specifies that VPN connection was successful.

"failure"
Specifies that VPN connection has failed.

Methods

createConfig()

Promise 
chrome.vpnProvider.createConfig(
  name: string,
  callback?: function,
)

Creates a new VPN configuration that persists across multiple login sessions of the user.

Parameters

  • name

    string

    The name of the VPN configuration.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (id: string) => void

    • id

      string

      A unique ID for the created configuration, or undefined on failure.

Returns

  • Promise<string>

    Chrome 96+

    Promises are only supported for Manifest V3 and later, other platforms need to use callbacks.

destroyConfig()

Promise 
chrome.vpnProvider.destroyConfig(
  id: string,
  callback?: function,
)

Destroys a VPN configuration created by the extension.

Parameters

  • id

    string

    ID of the VPN configuration to destroy.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    () => void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Chrome 96+

    Promises are only supported for Manifest V3 and later, other platforms need to use callbacks.

notifyConnectionStateChanged()

Promise 
chrome.vpnProvider.notifyConnectionStateChanged(
  state: VpnConnectionState,
  callback?: function,
)

Notifies the VPN session state to the platform. This will succeed only when the VPN session is owned by the extension.

Parameters

  • The VPN session state of the VPN client.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    () => void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Chrome 96+

    Promises are only supported for Manifest V3 and later, other platforms need to use callbacks.

sendPacket()

Promise 
chrome.vpnProvider.sendPacket(
  data: ArrayBuffer,
  callback?: function,
)

Sends an IP packet through the tunnel created for the VPN session. This will succeed only when the VPN session is owned by the extension.

Parameters

  • data

    ArrayBuffer

    The IP packet to be sent to the platform.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    () => void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Chrome 96+

    Promises are only supported for Manifest V3 and later, other platforms need to use callbacks.

setParameters()

Promise 
chrome.vpnProvider.setParameters(
  parameters: Parameters,
  callback?: function,
)

Sets the parameters for the VPN session. This should be called immediately after "connected" is received from the platform. This will succeed only when the VPN session is owned by the extension.

Parameters

  • parameters

    Parameters

    The parameters for the VPN session.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    () => void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Chrome 96+

    Promises are only supported for Manifest V3 and later, other platforms need to use callbacks.

Events

onConfigCreated

chrome.vpnProvider.onConfigCreated.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a configuration is created by the platform for the extension.

Parameters

  • callback

    function

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (id: string, name: string, data: object) => void

    • id

      string

    • name

      string

    • data

      object

onConfigRemoved

chrome.vpnProvider.onConfigRemoved.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a configuration created by the extension is removed by the platform.

Parameters

  • callback

    function

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (id: string) => void

    • id

      string

onPacketReceived

chrome.vpnProvider.onPacketReceived.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when an IP packet is received via the tunnel for the VPN session owned by the extension.

Parameters

  • callback

    function

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (data: ArrayBuffer) => void

    • data

      ArrayBuffer

onPlatformMessage

chrome.vpnProvider.onPlatformMessage.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a message is received from the platform for a VPN configuration owned by the extension.

Parameters

  • callback

    function

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (id: string, message: PlatformMessage, error: string) => void

onUIEvent

chrome.vpnProvider.onUIEvent.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when there is a UI event for the extension. UI events are signals from the platform that indicate to the app that a UI dialog needs to be shown to the user.

Parameters

  • callback

    function

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    (event: UIEvent, id?: string) => void

    • event

      UIEvent

    • id

      string optional