A Plugin is a software component which adds a specific feature to an existing software application. Plugins are useful for dynamically extending an existing application. Plugins let third-party developers add value to systems and let in-house developers add functionality without the risk of destabilizing the core functionality.

A plugin ensures encapsulation of implementation details, allows for isolated testing, can reduce the size of the base application, and may be used to separate source code from an application because of incompatible software licenses.

Plugin Specifics

A plugin is a set of software components which adds specific abilities to a software application. For example, plugins are commonly used in web browsers to play video and display new file types.

CopperSpice plugins are implemented as shared libraries, which are .so files on Unix and Mac OS X and .DLL files on Windows.

Writing a plugin involves creating a DLL that conforms to an API which was created by some application. For example, the CopperSpice SQL library defines an API which SQL drivers must conform to.