Recently we noticed a problem with how javascript code running in a Web browser can (or can't) hit localhost endpoints.

If the javascript code was loaded as part of a page that was itself loaded via https, then the Safari browser (and possibly some others) blocks the javascript code from opening URLs with http (non-secure) protocol, unless the request is being sent to a new window.

Unfortunately, this breaks AppStore, because AppStore is always using https. It also breaks our Galaxy and BAR bridge code. However, for Galaxy and BAR we can fix the problem for now by having those sites hit http endpoints on BioViz and by allowing http on the server. (See related issues.)

Philip Badzuh investigated the possibility of IGB's localhost endpoint being accessible via https, but we are not sure this would be a solution due to the impossibility of getting a certificate authority to sign a certificate for "localhost".

The Cytoscape App Store is working very similarly to IGB App Store in that it uses javascript to hit a localhost endpoint. Does it have the same bug in Safari, or have the Cytoscape developers identified a solution?

For this task, investigate the Cytoscape App Store code and Cytoscape code to find out: Can Cytoscape App Store install apps under Safari?