NPAPI, also known as Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface, is a deprecated API (application programming interface) used by some web browsers to allow the use of browser plugins. It was created by John Warnock and Allan Padgett at Adobe in 1995 for the purpose of integrating a PDF viewer into Netscape Navigator 2.0.

Browsers with NPAPI support

Browsers that have support for plugins written using the NPAPI include:

  • Safari
  • WebOS Isis.
  • Konqueror
  • Opera
  • Qupzilla.
  • Odyssey web browser on MorphOS.
  • Mozilla Firefox, but with only partial support in versions after Firefox 30.
  • Internet Explorer previous to version 5.5 SP2.

Computer acronyms, Software terms