Using Linux on a 64-bit ARM device and longing to use Firefox Nightly builds? Well, you’re in luck: Mozilla has made ARM64 Linux builds available to download.
Most Linux distributions which support ARM64/AArch64 includes an ARM Firefox build in their repos (in Ubuntu that comes via snap). Some Linux ARM distros only offer Firefox ESR, which is a long-term support version lacking newer features.
So it’s not been easy to get Firefox for ARM64 directly from Mozilla to sample the latest features, changes, and (for those on Raspberry Pi) see if there are performance improvements coming down the pipe to make it work better than it currently does!
Why now?
Well, when the Mozilla APT repo was launched, bringing DEB versions of Firefox Nightly Debian users (which otherwise uses stable ESR builds) Mozilla received feedback from ARM users to say they wanted in on the fun too.
So it’s obliged; Firefox Nightly for ARM are now available through the Mozilla APT repo.
Additionally, a Firefox Nightly binary for ARM64 (compressed in a .tar.bz2 archive) is available to download directly. This lets those on non-Debian Linux distros (and those who don’t wish to set up the Mozilla APT repo) to benefit.
Nightly builds of any software shouldn’t be considered stable but, this goes double for the new Firefox Nightly ARM64 builds.
Mozilla cautions it is “still incorporating comprehensive ARM64 testing into Firefox’s continuous integration and release pipeline”. As such, ARM builds may not be as robustly tested as regular 64-bit Intel/AMD ones.
There is good news, though. Mozilla says its eventual “…goal is to integrate ARM64 builds into Firefox’s extensive automated test suite, which will enable us to offer this architecture across the beta, release, and ESR channels.”
But, interestingly, not stable builds.
While easier ad-hoc access to Firefox ARM builds is overdue — Chromium’s Linux ARM support is much better at this point — it’s nonetheless welcome. With more eyes testing Firefox on ARM, its performance may improve.