The latest articles on DEV Community by ml3dev (@ml3dev). https://dev.to/ml3dev https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3883064%2F49b34a5b-0d35-4805-835e-4cc7e2905df6.jpg https://dev.to/ml3dev en ml3dev Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:13:28 +0000 https://dev.to/ml3dev/i-built-an-open-source-tab-suspender-after-the-great-suspender-got-removed-for-malware-4gj2 https://dev.to/ml3dev/i-built-an-open-source-tab-suspender-after-the-great-suspender-got-removed-for-malware-4gj2 <h2> The Problem </h2> <p>Chrome eats RAM. If you've ever had 30+ tabs open and watched your laptop slow to a crawl, you know the pain. The Great Suspender used to fix this, until it got bought by someone who injected malware into it and Google pulled it from the store.</p> <p>Chrome added Memory Saver but it's basic. No whitelist, no form protection, no control over what gets suspended.</p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p>I built <a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/drowzy-tab-suspender-memo/oijfnkaakdamnijjgehjpfmclhigmapa" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drowzy</a>, a free open source tab suspender for Chrome.</p> <p>The key difference from other suspenders: it uses Chrome's native <code>chrome.tabs.discard()</code> API instead of replacing your tabs with fake pages. Your tabs literally cannot be lost, even if you uninstall the extension.</p> <h2> Features </h2> <ul> <li>Auto-suspend inactive tabs (configurable timer)</li> <li>Smart protection for audio, pinned, and form tabs</li> <li>Whitelist sites that should never suspend</li> <li>Save and restore tab sessions</li> <li>Keyboard shortcuts</li> <li>Side panel interface</li> <li>Dark and light theme</li> <li>57 languages</li> <li>Zero tracking, zero data collection</li> </ul> <h2> The Technical Stuff </h2> <ul> <li>Manifest V3</li> <li>306KB total size</li> <li>Uses <code>chrome.tabs.discard()</code> for native suspension</li> <li>Optional host permissions (no scary install warning)</li> <li>80+ bugs fixed in the latest release including security hardening</li> </ul> <h2> Open Source </h2> <p>The entire codebase is MIT licensed. You can read every line of code, fork it, or contribute.</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/ml3dev/drowzy" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub repo</a></p> <p>Would love feedback from other devs, especially on the approach of using native discard vs custom suspended pages. Open a GitHub issue if you find anything!</p> productivity opensource