Plugin Architecture

I need to...	Guide	Summary
Choose between plugin patterns	Architecture Pattern Selection	Choose the pattern that matches your integration context. Foundation+Extension when mature plugin ecosystems exist.
Extend an existing plugin ecosystem	Foundation + Extension Pattern	Use Foundation+Extension when mature plugin ecosystem exists (Commerce, Views). Use Provider Plugin when creating new service abstraction from scratch.
Abstract multiple service providers	Provider Plugin Pattern	Use Provider Plugin when creating new service abstraction across diverse external providers. Use Foundation+Extension when mature plugin ecosystem exists.
Aggregate stateless services via tags	Service Collector Pattern	Use Service Collector for REST API-first external integrations with stateless services. Use Provider Plugin for internal Drupal service abstraction.
Register a plugin manager	Plugin Manager Implementation	Use plugin manager for Foundation+Extension and Provider Plugin patterns. Use service collector for Service Collector pattern.
Write consumer services	Service Integration Patterns	Use provider abstraction for internal Drupal services consuming plugins. Use REST API controller pattern for external systems consuming service collectors.
Store plugin configuration	Configuration Architecture	Store plugin configuration in entities for Foundation pattern. Use config objects for Provider pattern.
Integrate with the event system	Event System Integration	Use Provider pattern events for internal Drupal workflow integration. Use Service Collector polling events for external system integration via REST API.
See real-world implementation examples	Real-World Implementation Examples	Reference these patterns when implementing similar plugin architectures. Commerce Payment for Foundation pattern, AI module for Provider pattern, Orchestration module for Service Collector pattern.
Use the decision matrix	Pattern Selection Decision Matrix	Use this matrix when starting a new plugin architecture to choose the correct pattern. Consider infrastructure, integration needs, and complexity tradeoffs.
Test plugin architectures	Testing & Debugging	Test plugin architectures at unit level for plugin managers and service collectors. Use functional tests for REST API endpoints and integration workflows.
Apply security best practices	Security Best Practices	Apply these security patterns to every plugin architecture implementation. Plugin systems are vulnerable because they load and execute code dynamically.
Optimize performance	Performance Best Practices	Apply these patterns to any plugin system handling more than a handful of plugins or processing external API calls.