Install FireFox Browser on Debian 12

How can I install Firefox browser on Debian 12?

Install Firefox Browser on Debian 12

So, what are the steps to install Firefox browser ob Debian 12?

Firefox ESR vs Firefox

Did you notice that Firefox ESR (Extended support release) is already installed by default on Debian 12?

But, what are the differences between the two?

• Release Cycle: Firefox has a quick release cycle, releasing new versions every six weeks. Firefox ESR, on the other hand, is a version created for businesses and organizations who favor a slower release schedule. ESR versions are supported for a longer time, usually about a year, giving enterprise environments stability and compatibility.
• Updates: New features, bug fixes, and security patches are regularly added to Firefox. The user interface and functionality may change as a result of these revisions. On the other side, Firefox ESR places more of an emphasis on stability and security upgrades. Major feature updates are not made to it during the duration of support, guaranteeing enterprises a constant user experience.
• Target Market: Organizations, corporations, and institutions that need a reliable and consistent web browser environment are the main targets of Firefox ESR. For businesses that must maintain a uniform set of tools and extensions across numerous systems, it is very helpful. For casual users and enthusiasts who desire the newest features and upgrades as soon as they are released, regular Firefox is made.
• Add-on compatibility: Firefox ESR takes a more cautious approach to add-on compatibility. In order to maintain compatibility with earlier add-ons and extensions, stability is given priority over the newest features. Regular Firefox upgrades may provide changes that could impede add-on compatibility because developers are pushed to update their extensions to be compatible with the newest releases.

Install FireFox Browser on Debian 12

As already mentioned, Firefox ESR is already installed by default on Debian 12;

So, how can i then install regular Firefox on Debian 12?

There are different ways in which you can install regular Firefox on Debian 12;

1. Install Firefox from system repositories
2. Install Firefox From Flatpak
3. Install Firefox from Snap
4. Install Firefox from Mozilla Builds (we wont cover this in this guide).

Install Firefox Browser on Debian 12 from system repositories

Well, this should be the quickest and easiest method to install Firefox browser on Debian 12. Unfortunately, the default repositories on Debian 12 distributes only Firefox ESR.

apt-cache policy firefox

firefox:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: (none)
  Version table:

Thus, we cant use this method to install regular Firefox on Debian 12.

Install Firefox Browser on Debian 12 From Flatpak

Flatpak is a framework for distributing desktop applications across various Linux distributions. Read more about Flatpak.

Install and enable Flatpak repository on Debian 12;

apt update

apt install flatpak

Install the repository;

(if using GNOME)

apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak -y

Then, install the Flathub repository.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists \
flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Next, update Flatpak repo and install regular Firefox browser on Debian 12;

flatpak update

flatpak search firefox

Name           Description                                                                  Application ID              Version     Branch Remotes
Firefox        Fast, Private & Safe Web Browser                                             org.mozilla.firefox         114.0.2     stable flathub
Mojave-GTK     Mojave-Style Theme for GTK Flatpak Applications                              …gtk.Gtk3theme.Mojave-light 0.1         3.22   flathub
Firestorm Vie… Client for accessing 3D virtual worlds                                       …tormviewer.FirestormViewer 6.3.9.58205 stable flathub
BleachBit      Cleans files to free disk space and to maintain privacy                      org.bleachbit.BleachBit     v4.4.2      stable flathub
Floorp         Floorp browser                                                               one.ablaze.floorp           10.15.0     stable flathub
Joplin         A free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a l… net.cozic.joplin_desktop    2.11.11     stable flathub
LibreWolf      LibreWolf Web Browser                                                        …gitlab.librewolf-community 114.0.2-1   stable flathub
Vieb           Vim Inspired Electron Browser                                                dev.vieb.Vieb               10.1.0      stable flathub
Gabut Downloa… Simple and Fast Download Manager                                             …m.github.gabutakut.gabutdm 2.1.6       stable flathub

As you can see, we have the latest stable release version of regular Firefox

Hence, install it;

flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox

Go through the installation prompts and accept to install regular Firefox on Debian 12.

Looking for matches…
Required runtime for org.mozilla.firefox/x86_64/stable (runtime/org.freedesktop.Platform/x86_64/22.08) found in remote flathub
Do you want to install it? [Y/n]: y

org.mozilla.firefox permissions:
    ipc                            network         cups          pcsc                   pulseaudio             wayland
    x11                            devices         devel         file access [1]        dbus access [2]        bus ownership [3]
    system dbus access [4]

    [1] /run/.heim_org.h5l.kcm-socket, xdg-download
    [2] org.a11y.Bus, org.freedesktop.FileManager1, org.freedesktop.Notifications, org.freedesktop.ScreenSaver, org.gnome.SessionManager, org.gtk.vfs.*
    [3] org.mozilla.firefox.*, org.mozilla.firefox_beta.*, org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.firefox.*
    [4] org.freedesktop.NetworkManager


        ID                                             Branch                 Op            Remote             Download
 1. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default            22.08                  i             flathub            142.9 MB / 143.1 MB
 2. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.default            22.08-extra            i             flathub             16.2 MB / 143.1 MB
 3. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.Locale                22.08                  i             flathub             17.8 kB / 333.4 MB
 4. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform.openh264              2.2.0                  i             flathub              1.2 MB / 944.3 kB
 5. [✓] org.freedesktop.Platform                       22.08                  i             flathub            207.9 MB / 214.4 MB
 6. [✓] org.mozilla.firefox.Locale                     stable                 i             flathub            996.2 kB / 51.6 MB
 7. [✓] org.mozilla.firefox                            stable                 i             flathub             88.7 MB / 90.3 MB

Installation complete.

You can now run regular Firefox using the command below, as a regular user;

flatpak run org.mozilla.firefox

You can also just update the PATH as follows (note that we executed this as root user to ensure correct PATH is defined);

echo "PATH=$PATH:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin" | tee -a /etc/environment

source /etc/environment

And just launch regular Firefox using the command;

org.mozilla.firefox

You can also create a desktop icon;

ln -s \
/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications/org.mozilla.firefox.desktop \
.local/share/applications/firefox-flatpak.desktop

You can then be able to launch it from applications menu.

If you want to remove/uninstall;

flatpak uninstall org.mozilla.firefox

Install Firefox Browser on Debian 12 from Snap

You can install Firefox browser on Debian 12 from snap as follows;

apt install snapd

The install Firefox;

snap install firefox

Launch Firefox;

snap run firefox

And that is how you can install Firefox on Debian 12. Choose any method that works for you!

Other Tutorials

Install Google Chrome Browser on Debian 12

Install LAMP Stack on Debian 12