Web Browser Support

This article will primarily focus on desktop web browsers commonly used with the Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems as these are the intended operating systems from which to access the Alegion platform. For more information on this please see the Mobile Browsers section.

Before getting further into the specifics of browser support it is first important to understand that all web browsers are built off a foundational component called an engine. When web applications such as the Alegion platform are being developed and compatibility is being determined, this is done at the engine level rather than the browser level. Therefore, if a web application supports one browser built off of an engine, it should support all browsers built off that engine. However, as seen below, there are some exceptions to that rule.

The three primary browser engines are Chromium, Gecko, and WebKit. While there are significant differences between these engines, that is not important for you as an end user. What is important is identifying your desired browser's engine and verifying its compatibility with the Alegion Platform.

While for the most part, selecting the right browser is a matter of personal preference, if you are planning to use that browser for your annotation work, you should consult the compatibility information below. Should your browser not be listed as a supported browser it is strongly recommended to use one of the listed browsers for your annotation work instead.

Supported Browsers

Chromium

The Alegion platform is designed for compatibility with Chromium browsers. The two Chromium browsers which are officially supported are Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. As stated above, all other Chromium browsers such as Opera, Vivaldi, and Brave should also work but we do not test them for compatibility.

Google Chrome

With a supermajority of the market share, Chrome is by far the most popular web browser across all operating systems. Chrome is the default browser on Chromebook devices and can be additionally installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the default browser that is included on all modern Windows computers and was created to replace Internet Explorer. While the modern versions of Microsoft Edge are Chromium based, the older versions of the browser were WebKit based and are therefore unsupported. Make sure you have the newest version by checking Windows Update or by manually downloading the newest version from either the Microsoft Store or Edge's download page. From this page Edge can additionally be obtained for macOS and Linux should you want to use it on another operating system.

Gecko

The Alegion platform is also designed for compatibility with Gecko browsers. However, at this time Firefox is the sole Gecko browser officially supported by the Alegion Platform. 

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is a privacy-focused alternative to Chromium competitors such as Google Chrome. It is oftentimes found as the default web browser of many Linux distributions. Firefox is also available to download for macOS and Windows operating systems.

Downloads

To download one of the three primary supported browsers, please click the icon of your desired browser to be taken to its download page.

Unsupported Browsers

WebKit

Due to limitations of the WebKit engine, the Alegion Platform is unable to support any browsers built off of it officially. At this time that is namely Apple's Safari browser which is the default web browser of macOS.

Apple Safari

Safari is the default web browser of macOS and is developed by Apple. Should you be using a macOS device and do not have a third-party browser installed, please select one from the list of supported browsers above.

Gecko

While the primary Gecko browser, Firefox, is officially supported, access to the Alegion Platform from the Gecko-based Tor browser has been intentionally disabled due to cybersecurity concerns.

Tor

Tor builds on Firefox's privacy focus offering additional privacy features that help to conceal your digital identity. However, due to the browser's association with cybercrime and other illegal activities, Alegion will be refusing to support access to our platform from this browser. Should you be using Tor on your computer, we recommend switching to Firefox for your interactions with the Alegion platform.

Mobile Browsers

We strongly discourage using mobile devices, especially smartphones, when accessing the Alegion Platform. However, we recognize that there does exist a potential use case where you might want to use a tablet-style device to manage your projects, or view annotations. While this use case is not officially supported, please refer to the following paragraphs for more information on mobile device compatibility.

iOS

Unfortunately, Apple requires all web browsers on the App Store to implement WebKit rather than use the native engines from their desktop counterparts. Therefore, attempting to access the Alegion Platform from an iOS device such as an iPhone or an iPad even from a browser that would otherwise be supported on a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer will likely lead you to encounter some issues.

Android

On the other hand, the Android versions of our supported browsers should hypothetically work, as they are able to implement the same engines as their desktop counterparts. Despite this, accessing the Alegion Platform from a mobile device is still not recommended and dedicated support for this use case will not be provided.

Chromebooks

It is a bit atypical to group Chromebooks with mobile devices as they are technically laptops, however, their non-traditional operating system and similarities to Android made it most appropriate to group them here. Where Chromebooks differ from the other listed mobile devices is that the operating system itself is built around a fully-fledged desktop copy of Google Chrome. Therefore due to Chromebook devices being Chromium-based, they should have no issues accessing the Alegion platform but may have difficulties with performance due to their often underpowered hardware.

Browser Extensions

All browser extensions have the potential to interfere with the Alegion platform depending on how they interact with the traffic and display of the sites being visited. Therefore it is always a good diagnostic step to disable all browser extensions if you are having issues with the Alegion platform. The easiest way to do this is by opening an Incognito or Private tab in your web browser, which automatically disables all extensions. Then attempt to replicate the issue from within that tab.

Advertisement Blockers

While we stated that all extensions have the potential to interfere, advertisement/ad blockers are known to cause issues. Ad blockers can interfere with core Alegion user interface functionality, including providing in-application support. We recommend either temporarily disabling or creating a site-based exception in your ad blocker when interacting with the Alegion platform. We have provided a link to instructions on how to do this for the three most common advertisement-blocking services. Click the icon that matches your preferred service to be taken to their documentation on site-based exceptions. Please note that some browsers (such as Firefox) have built-in blockers that should be disabled in addition to any third-party blockers you have installed.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

Virtual Private Networks, often referred to as VPNs, are not officially blocked by the Alegion platform. However, due to our stance on the Tor browser, some VPN traffic can result in a false positive for Tor-based traffic and end up getting blocked due to the similarities in how they operate. Therefore, if you are having trouble accessing the Alegion platform and have a VPN enabled, you may want to try accessing the platform with it disabled as a diagnostic step.