I'm trying to wrap my head around how Firefox manages to download really large files (like over 4GB) from sites such as WeTransfer. I noticed that when I attempt to download a huge file, it prompts me to choose a save location. This seems different from the typical `fetch` method where everything downloads in the browser's memory first. Since the `showSaveFilePicker` function isn't available in Firefox, I'm curious about how they accomplish this. Am I missing something important here?
3 Answers
Those downloads are actually just standard file downloads! When you click the link, the browser handles the download process automatically without needing a custom JavaScript implementation. It prompts you to pick a save location and streams the file there directly, which is pretty neat.
The browser manages the entire download process natively, especially if the server sends the data with the correct headers. You don't need to manually handle chunked downloads or anything, as the browser takes care of that for you. Just remember, if there's a time limit on the download, the whole thing must finish downloading before the link expires!
It actually skips the entire JavaScript side of things! The way Firefox manages large downloads is quite interesting. It doesn't rely on JavaScript for file saving, making it more efficient in those cases.
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