Why Do DuckDuckGo and Brave Browsers Use Chrome-native://newtab/ for New Tabs?

The appearance of chrome-native://newtab/ in DuckDuckGo and Brave browsers can be attributed to the nature of their development and the underlying components they use. Both browsers are built on the Chromium platform, a powerful open-source codebase that powers Google Chrome among other browsers.

Chromium Base

Both DuckDuckGo and Brave use Chromium as their underlying engine. This means that many of the internal mechanisms and URLs designed for Google Chrome are also present in these browsers. The chrome:// URLs are part of the Chromium architecture, providing access to various browser features and settings. This shared architectural foundation is what causes chrome-native://newtab/ to appear in these browsers.

New Tab Page

The chrome-native://newtab/ URL specifically refers to the new tab page functionality that is part of the Chromium framework. When you open a new tab in these browsers, they may internally reference this URL to load the new tab page. Even though the visual presentation and specific features are customized to fit the needs of DuckDuckGo or Brave, the underlying URL structure is inherited from the Chromium project.

Customization

While DuckDuckGo and Brave can modify or replace the new tab page with their own content—such as DuckDuckGo’s privacy-focused search or Brave’s ad-blocking features—the underlying reference to chrome-native://newtab/ may still persist in the code. This is a result of how the browser architectures are structured and does not imply that these browsers are Chrome themselves.

Developer Tools and Debugging

Developers often use these URLs for debugging and development purposes. They allow developers to access certain features or settings that are part of the Chromium project without needing to recreate everything from scratch. This URL helps in troubleshooting and understanding how the Chromium system works within the browser code.

Brave Browser and DuckDuckGo Mobile

Brave is a Chromium-based browser, much like DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser if that is the context you are referring to. Brave essentially uses the Chromium framework with some additional features built in, such as privacy and ad-blocking. DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser, on the other hand, uses the Chromium engine but operates with a default incognito mode and a different user interface (UI) to enhance privacy and security.

Conclusion: While DuckDuckGo and Brave are not Chrome, their use of the Chromium engine means they inherit some of Chrome’s internal code and URLs, including those related to new tab functionality. This shared architecture ensures stability and consistent features across different browsers built on top of Chromium.

Keywords: DuckDuckGo, Brave Browser, Chromium Engine