About Red Hat Developer Hub plugins

Chapter 1. About Red Hat Developer Hub plugins

1.1. Plugins in Red Hat Developer Hub

The Red Hat Developer Hub (RHDH) application offers a unified platform with various plugins. Using the plugin ecosystem within the RHDH application, you can access any kind of development infrastructure or software development tool.

Plugins are modular extensions for RHDH that extend functionality, streamline development workflows, and improve the developer experience. You can add and configure plugins in RHDH to access various software development tools.

Each plugin is treated as a self-contained application and can include almost any type of content. Plugins use a common set of platform APIs and reusable UI components. Plugins can get data from external sources using APIs or by depending on external modules to do the work.

RHDH provides both static plugins and dynamic plugins which extend RHDH functionality. Static plugins are built into the core of the RHDH application, dynamic plugins are sideloaded into your Developer Hub instance without having to recompile your code or rebuild the container.

To install or update a static plugin you must update your RHDH application source code and rebuild the application and container image.

To install or update a dynamic plugin, you must restart your RHDH application source code after installing the plugin.

You can also import your own custom-built or third-party plugins or create new features using dynamic plugins.

Dynamic plugins boost modularity and scalability by enabling more flexible and efficient functionality loading, significantly enhancing the developer experience and customization of your RHDH instance.

1.1.1. Dynamic plugins

RHDH dynamic plugins offer several benefits, particularly in environments where flexibility, scalability, and customization are key. Here are some of the benefits that using dynamic plugins in RHDH provide:

Modularity and extensibility: Dynamic plugins allow teams to add or modify features without altering the core RHDH application. This modular approach makes it easier to extend functionality as needs evolve.
Customization: Different teams or projects might have unique requirements. Dynamic plugins enable users to tailor RHDH to fit specific workflows and use cases, enhancing the overall user experience.
Reduced maintenance and update overhead: With dynamic plugins, updates or new features can be deployed independently of the main RHDH codebase. This reduces the risks and efforts associated with maintaining and updating the platform.
Faster iteration: Developers can create and test new features more rapidly as plugins. This encourages experimentation and innovation, allowing teams to quickly iterate based on feedback.
Improved collaboration: Organizations can share plugins across teams or even externally. This sharing can foster collaboration and reduce duplication of effort, as well as help establish best practices across an organization.
Scalability: As organizations grow, their needs become more complex. Dynamic plugins enable RHDH to scale alongside these needs, accommodating an increasing number of users and services.
Ecosystem growth: Encouraging the development of plugins can lead to a vibrant ecosystem around RHDH. This community can contribute plugins that address a wide range of needs, further enriching the platform.
Security and compliance: Plugins can be developed with specific security and compliance requirements in mind, ensuring that RHDH installations meet the necessary standards without compromising the core application.

Overall, the use of dynamic plugins in RHDH promotes a flexible, adaptable, and sustainable approach to managing and scaling development infrastructure.

1.1.2. Comparing dynamic plugins to static plugins

Static plugins are built into the core of the RHDH application. Installing or updating a static plugin requires a restart of the application after installing the plugin.

The following table provides a comparison between static and dynamic plugins in RHDH.

Feature	Static plugins	Dynamic plugins
Integration	Built into the core application.	Loaded at runtime, separate from the core.
Flexibility	Requires core changes to add or update features.	Add or update features without core changes.
Development speed	Slower, requires a complete rebuild for new features.	Faster, deploy new functionalities quickly.
Customization	Limited to predefined options.	Easy to tailor platform by loading specific plugins.
Maintenance	More complex due to tightly coupled features.	Enhanced by modular architecture.
Resource use	All features loaded at startup.	Only necessary plugins loaded dynamically.
Innovation	Slower experimentation due to rebuild cycles.	Quick experimentation with new plugins.

Feature

Static plugins

Dynamic plugins

Integration

Built into the core application.

Loaded at runtime, separate from the core.

Flexibility

Requires core changes to add or update features.

Add or update features without core changes.

Development speed

Slower, requires a complete rebuild for new features.

Faster, deploy new functionalities quickly.

Customization

Limited to predefined options.

Easy to tailor platform by loading specific plugins.

Maintenance

More complex due to tightly coupled features.

Enhanced by modular architecture.

Resource use

All features loaded at startup.

Only necessary plugins loaded dynamically.

Innovation

Slower experimentation due to rebuild cycles.

Quick experimentation with new plugins.