As developers, we obsess over performance, accessibility, and design — but how often do we think about the environmental impact of the websites we build?
That’s why I built Green Software Indicator — a simple yet powerful Chrome and Edge extension that evaluates websites for sustainable development practices in real time.
What It Does
Every time you visit a website, the extension automatically analyzes it for common green software best practices, including:
- ✅ Image Optimization (modern formats like WebP, lazy loading)
- ✅ Minified Resources (compressed JS/CSS)
- ✅ Server-side Compression (gzip, Brotli, etc.)
- ✅ Reduced HTTP Requests (bundled assets, CDNs)
- ✅ Energy-Efficient Design (dark mode support, async scripts)
It then gives a color-coded badge (✓ Green, ~ Yellow, ✗ Red, ? Gray) and a detailed breakdown when you click the icon in your browser toolbar.
Why This Matters
According to the Green Software Foundation, software contributes significantly to global carbon emissions — from data transfer and rendering to power usage on user devices.
Small optimizations in your frontend code — like compressing images or enabling dark mode — can actually reduce electricity consumption at scale.
Green Software Indicator is a gentle reminder of how our decisions as developers have real-world consequences.
🛠️ Try It Now
You can install the extension from either store:
No login. Just browse and click.
💚 Looking for Contributors!
This is a community-first project. The repo is open source:
👉 https://github.com/kasuken/green-software-indicator
Here’s how you can help:
- Improve or add new evaluation criteria (e.g., WebAssembly, power hints)
- Enhance performance analysis
- UX/UI feedback for the popup interface
- Translate the UI to other languages
- Spread the word — share with friends & colleagues
Even small contributions matter. Let’s build a more sustainable web.
🔖 Stay ahead of the dev curve
I created a Curated RSS Feed Bundle for Web Developers — a hand-picked OPML file of the best dev blogs and websites on the internet.
💡 Just download, import into your favorite RSS reader (like Feedly or NetNewsWire), and enjoy fresh insights every day.
👉 Grab it on Gumroad — stay sharp without the noise.
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