How to Use Manifest Viewer to Inspect Android & Web Manifests

Manifest Viewer Tools Compared: Pick the Best for Your WorkflowManifests — whether for Android apps, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), browser extensions, container images, or other packaged software — are compact files that define what an application is, how it behaves, and what it requests from the system. A good manifest viewer makes it easy to inspect, validate, and debug those files without wading through raw JSON, XML, or YAML. This article compares several manifest viewer tools, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and offers guidance for choosing the best tool for your workflow.

Why a dedicated manifest viewer matters

Manifests are often terse and technical. A specialized viewer can:

Present manifest fields in a human-readable, categorized layout.
Validate against schemas and best practices.
Show differences between manifest versions.
Link to documentation for specific keys.
Surface security-sensitive entries (permissions, capabilities).
Integrate into CI or developer environments.

Using a viewer speeds up debugging, reduces errors, and helps teams maintain consistent, secure manifests.

Common types of manifests

AndroidManifest.xml — defines activities, services, permissions, and components for Android apps.
package.json — Node.js projects and some web tools (scripts, dependencies, metadata).
manifest.json (Web App Manifest) — PWA metadata: icons, start_url, display, theme_color.
browser extension manifests (manifest.json for Chrome/Firefox) — permissions, background scripts, content scripts.
OCI/Docker image manifests — layers, media types, digests.
Kubernetes manifests (YAML) — deployments, services, config maps, RBAC.
Other specialized manifests (Flatpak, Snap, appx manifests, etc.)

Different viewers may focus on specific manifest types or support multiple formats.

Criteria for comparison

When evaluating manifest viewers, consider:

Format support: JSON, XML, YAML, and specialized formats.
Schema validation and linting: built-in rules, custom schemas, error explanations.
UI/UX: tree view, field grouping, search, copy/paste, collapse/expand.
Diffing and history: visual diffs between versions and change tracking.
Integration: IDE plugins, browser extensions, CLI tools, CI/CD.
Security insights: permission highlighting, known vulnerability checks.
Extensibility: custom rules, plugins, documentation links.
Performance and offline use: speed with large manifests and ability to work without network.
Licensing and cost: open-source vs proprietary, free vs paid tiers.

Tools compared

Below are several popular manifest viewers and related tools, grouped by primary use-case. This is not exhaustive but covers representative options.

1) Built-in browser devtools (Chrome/Edge/Firefox)

Use case: Quick inspection of web manifests and extension manifests.
Format support: manifest.json (Web App Manifest); extension manifests via chrome://extensions.
Strengths: No install required, shows live site manifest, integrates with service worker and PWA tooling, immediate access to deployed manifests.
Weaknesses: Limited validation and diffing, not ideal for local files or other manifest types.

2) Android Studio (Manifest editor)

Use case: Android app manifests.
Format support: AndroidManifest.xml with Gradle manifest merging visualization.
Strengths: Visual editor for activities/permissions, merge conflict visualization, direct link to resource files, lint integration.
Weaknesses: Heavy IDE, Android-specific only.

3) Visual Studio Code + extensions

Use case: Multi-format manifests (JSON, YAML, XML); customizable workflow.
Example extensions: JSON Schema validation, YAML, Kubernetes, Docker, PWA Manifest support.
Strengths: Lightweight editor, excellent extensions ecosystem, schema-driven validation, in-editor diffs and version control integration.
Weaknesses: Requires configuration (installing extensions, schemas), UX depends on chosen extensions.

4) Manifest Viewer web apps (various)

Use case: Quick inspection of web app manifests, extension manifests, or uploaded files.
Strengths: Simple UI, often provide friendly views and icon previews, sometimes include validation.
Weaknesses: Privacy concerns for uploading manifests; limited to supported manifest types.

5) Command-line tools (jq, yq, xmllint, kubeval, docker manifest inspect)

Use case: CI, automation, scripting, powerful filtering and transformations.
Strengths: Scriptable, fast, ideal for pipelines, wide format support via specialized tools (kubeval for Kubernetes, docker CLI for OCI manifests).
Weaknesses: Steeper learning curve, less visual, requires combining multiple tools for full coverage.

6) Specialized linting tools

Examples: web-app-manifest-linter, eslint-plugin-pwa, kube-linter, kubeval.
Use case: Enforcing best practices and schema compliance in CI.
Strengths: Purpose-built rules, actionable errors/warnings, CI-friendly.
Weaknesses: Focused on linting rather than visualization.

7) Container and image registry UIs (Harbor, Docker Hub, Quay)

Use case: Viewing OCI manifests and layers.
Strengths: Visual layer list, digests, metadata, vulnerability scanning integrations.
Weaknesses: Mostly tied to registries; not for arbitrary local files.

Comparison table

Tool / Category	Formats supported	Best for	Validation & Linting	Integration
Browser DevTools	Web manifest, extension manifests	Quick live inspections	Minimal	Browser
Android Studio	AndroidManifest.xml	Android app dev	Strong (lint, merge)	IDE
VS Code + extensions	JSON, YAML, XML, Kubernetes, Docker	Cross-format editing	Via extensions (JSON Schema, kubeval)	IDE, Git
Web manifest viewers (web)	manifest.json (web)	Fast visual checks	Some include validation	Browser (upload/URL)
CLI tools (jq/yq/kubeval/docker)	JSON, YAML, XML, OCI	Automation/CI	Strong with specific tools	Shell, CI
Linting tools	Format-specific	Policy enforcement	Strong (rules & CI)	CI/CD
Registry UIs	OCI manifests	Container images	Vulnerability scanning (optional)	Registry

Practical recommendations by workflow

If you need quick, live inspection of a deployed PWA or extension: use browser devtools (fast and immediate).
If you work on Android apps: Android Studio’s manifest editor is the most productive — shows merged manifests and lint issues.
If your work spans multiple manifest types and you want an editor-centric workflow: VS Code with targeted extensions (JSON Schema, YAML, Kubernetes, Docker) offers the best balance of visibility, validation, and integration with version control.
For CI/CD and automation: CLI tools + specialized linters (kubeval, web-app-manifest-linter, docker manifest inspect) let you enforce rules and fail builds on bad manifests.
For container images and security-focused workflows: registry UIs + vulnerability scanners provide manifest metadata plus security context.
If you need a lightweight visualizer for occasional checks and icon previews: a reputable web manifest viewer is fine — avoid uploading sensitive manifests.

Example workflows

Developer editing a PWA:
1. Open manifest.json in VS Code with a JSON Schema extension for web app manifest.
2. Use Live Server or Chrome devtools to preview how the manifest behaves on the site.
3. Run a web-app-manifest-linter in CI to enforce icon sizes and start_url rules.
DevOps managing Kubernetes manifests:
1. Author manifests in YAML in VS Code with Kubernetes extension.
2. Validate with kubeval or kube-linter locally and in CI.
3. Use kubectl diff/apply for cluster updates and registry UIs for image manifests.
Security team auditing extension manifests:
1. Pull extension manifest via browser devtools or unpack extension.
2. Inspect permissions highlighted by a viewer or custom script.
3. Track changes via git diffs and alert on new high-risk permissions.

Choosing the best tool — quick checklist

Do you need visual editing or scripting? (Visual → IDE/web UI; Script → CLI)
Which manifest formats are primary? (Match tool to formats)
Do you need schema validation and CI enforcement? (Add linters and CLI validators)
Is privacy a concern? (Avoid public web uploaders; prefer local IDE or CLI)
Do you need integration with version control or issue tracking? (Choose an IDE or CI-capable tool)

Closing notes

A “best” manifest viewer depends on the manifest types you handle and how you prefer to work. For most cross-platform developers, VS Code plus targeted extensions gives excellent flexibility. For platform-specific work, native tools (Android Studio, Kubernetes toolchains, container registries) are more productive. For CI and enforcement, CLI validators and linters are indispensable.

Pick a combination: a visual editor for day-to-day changes, CI linters for automated enforcement, and lightweight viewers for quick checks. That mix keeps manifests human-readable, machine-validated, and secure.