File System Access API (Local Filesystem)

[BenjaminAster]

Request for position on an emerging web specification

Information about the spec

• Spec Title: File System Access
• Spec URL: https://wicg.github.io/file-system-access/
• GitHub repository: https://github.com/WICG/file-system-access
• Issue Tracker (if not the repository's issue tracker):
• Explainer (if not README.md in the repository): https://github.com/WICG/file-system-access/blob/main/EXPLAINER.md

Design reviews and vendor positions

• TAG Design Review:
• Mozilla standards-positions issue: File System Access API mozilla/standards-positions#154

Bugs tracking this feature

• WebKit Bugzilla: https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=231706
• Radar: rdar://84484202

Anything else we need to know

The File System Access API allows websites to directly interact with the computer's local files. Shipped in Chromium 86.

Note: I'm not talking about the Origin Private File System part of the File System Access API that has already been implemented in WebKit, but about the part that allows for direct access to local files.

[gsnedders]

See also WICG/file-system-access#342 for where the parts of the WICG report got migrated into the WHATWG Storage Workstream, and WICG/file-system-access#370 about removing the duplicated content from the WICG report.

cc @johnwilander @youennf

[annevk]

Colleagues and I have discussed this and don't see a way to grant write access to the end user's local file system in a way that safeguards the end user's interests. Quite in line with the conclusion Mozilla reached in mozilla/standards-positions#154.

We do think there might be ways that <input type=file>, drag & drop, and https://wicg.github.io/entries-api/ could be integrated better with https://fs.spec.whatwg.org/. Allowing usage of the new APIs for read access makes sense.

Based on that I suggest we label this as "position: oppose" 7 days from now.

[hober]

Closing as we've identified our position.