0 Overview of uBlock's network filtering engine: details

garry-ut99 edited this page 2024-05-22 08:35:47 +00:00

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Dynamic URL filtering rules
• Dynamic filtering rules
• Static filtering
• Why are rules "dynamic" and filters "static" if both are declarative?

Overview

Overview of uBlock's network filtering engine

Dynamic URL filtering rules

Advantages:

• Little overhead creating/deleting dynamic URL rules.
• Precedence over both dynamic filtering rules and static filters.
  • Useful to diagnose/fix in a very narrow way websites broken by either dynamic filtering rules or static filtering.
  • Useful to create override to current dynamic filtering rules or static filtering.
• A point and click UI for easy management of rules.

Disadvantages:

• Can only match URLs which "start with".
• Can't be loaded from a filter list.

Dynamic filtering rules

Advantages:

• Little overhead creating/deleting dynamic rules.
• Precedence over static filters.
• A point and click UI for easy management of rules.

Disadvantages:

• Rules are broad: whole sites or class of types.
• Can't be loaded from a filter list.

Static filtering

Advantages:

• Flexible syntax: from very broad to very narrow targeting, with support of wildcards at any position.
• Support cosmetic filtering (removal of DOM elements).
• Can be loaded from a filter list: facilitate community-supported filter lists.
• Compatibility: can be used in other blockers supporting ABP-compatible filter syntax.
  • Except for a few filter syntax extensions specific to uBlock not adopted by other blockers.

Disadvantages:

• High overhead creating/deleting network/cosmetic filters (high memory churn).
  • Related: Memory footprint: what happens inside uBlock after installation
• In case of 3rd-party filter lists, forced to use all filters, including those which may not be wanted.

Why are rules "dynamic" and filters "static" if both are declarative?

"Static" means it must be "compiled" ahead-of-time before being used, and "dynamic" means it can effortlessly change at runtime:

• Rules: you can set rules with a simple mouse clicks in the user interface, they are virtually zero overhead to create/remove.
• Filters: all filters must be all reloaded in memory when adding/removing.

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• Overview of uBlock's network filtering engine
  • Overview of uBlock's network filtering engine: details
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