hashicorp/go-plugin
Go Plugin
go-plugin is a framework for implementing plugin architectures where extensions run as separate processes and communicate via a Go RPC plugin system. It functions as an inter-process communication library and lifecycle manager that allows host applications to discover, launch, and monitor external binary plugins.
The framework enables cross-language plugin systems, allowing plugins written in different languages to integrate with a host through standardized RPC protocols. It features a bidirectional RPC bridge that allows both the host and the plugin to exchange interface implementations for complex data exchange and callbacks.
The system provides process isolation by executing plugins as independent subprocesses, ensuring that plugin crashes do not terminate the host application. It covers security through mutual TLS authentication and integrity verification, as well as lifecycle orchestration including stateful process reattachment to maintain connectivity during host upgrades. Additional capabilities include binary discovery, protocol versioning, and the synchronization of plugin logs and output streams back to the host.
Features
- Process-Isolated Plugins - Executes plugins as independent operating system processes to ensure plugin crashes do not terminate the host application.
- RPC-Based Plugin Systems - Implements a plugin architecture where extensions communicate with the host via a Go RPC system.
- Plugin Lifecycle Management - Discovers, launches, and monitors external binary plugins while managing their connection states and cleanup.
- Plugin Lifecycle Management - Provides a comprehensive system for launching binary plugins and managing their execution and connection states.
- Plugin Orchestration - Manages the starting, monitoring, and graceful termination of plugin binaries, including reattachment during upgrades.
- Multi-Language Plugin Frameworks - Provides a communication layer using standardized RPC protocols to integrate plugins written in different languages.
- Bidirectional RPC Bridges - Provides a mechanism for sharing interface implementations between a host and plugin to enable bidirectional callbacks.
- Interface Passing - Supports bidirectional communication by allowing the host and plugin to exchange interface implementations.
- Cross-Language RPC Frameworks - Integrates functionality written in different programming languages through a standardized Go RPC communication layer.
- Inter-process Communication Libraries - Provides a library for exchanging data and invoking methods between a host process and external plugins via secure channels.
- Plugin Connection Management - Establishes RPC connections to separate processes to execute functions and instantiate plugin types.
- Remote Procedure Calls - Invokes methods on external plugin processes and retrieves results within the host application via RPC.
- Mutual TLS Authentication - Implements secure communication channels between the host and plugins using mutual TLS for identity verification.
- Plugin Communication Channels - Establishes authenticated and encrypted communication channels between the host process and its plugins.
- Bidirectional Interface Exchanges - Implements a bidirectional RPC bridge allowing hosts and plugins to exchange interface implementations for complex callbacks.
- Extensible Architectures - Enables building software where third parties can add features via external binaries without modifying core source code.
- Inter-Process Communication - Provides a gRPC-based framework for exchanging data and invoking methods between host and separate plugin processes.
- Inter-Process Communication Management - Handles the entire lifecycle, security, and data exchange between the main application and separate plugin subprocesses.
- Complex Data Type Exchange - Manages the exchange of complex arguments and return values through specialized connections and raw data streams.
- Process Reattachment - Allows a host to reconnect to a previously running plugin process using saved configuration to maintain state.
- Protocol Version Verifiers - Checks protocol version compatibility during the handshake process to prevent incompatible plugins from connecting.
- Custom Protocol Implementations - Provides the ability to implement custom interfaces for defining how data is exchanged over network listeners.
- Stream Multiplexing - Shares a single network connection to handle multiple concurrent data streams for control signals and logs.
- Secure RPC Channels - Establishes encrypted and authenticated communication channels between host and plugins using mutual TLS.
- Service Exposure - Provides network listeners and server management within the binary to expose plugin services to clients.
- Process Reattachment Mechanisms - Allows a new host process to connect to an already running plugin to maintain state during upgrades.
- Stateful Reattachment - Enables host upgrades without restarting plugin processes by connecting the new host to the existing plugin.
- Integrity Verifications - Verifies the authenticity of plugin binaries using checksums and secure communication channels.
- Local Plugin Discovery - Scans local directories using glob patterns to identify and locate external plugin binary files.
- Handshaking - Implements a handshake to verify protocol versions and security tokens before establishing communication channels.
- Data Streaming - Facilitates the exchange of message sequences to handle large datasets or continuous updates.
