Plugins

OpenCDMP is built around a plugin architecture that lets you extend the platform with your own services for file export and import, repository deposit, and plan evaluation. Each plugin is an independent Spring Boot microservice that OpenCDMP calls over HTTP; once registered, it is available to users through the standard user interface.

note

Assets are called descriptions in the API, plugin contracts, and data model.

Plugin types

Plugin type	Purpose	Base package
File transformer	Export plans and assets to custom file formats, or import from them	org.opencdmp:file-transformer-base
Deposit service	Deposit plans to external repositories and receive DOIs	org.opencdmp:repository-deposit-base
Evaluator	Assess plans and assets against standards or criteria	org.opencdmp:evaluator-base

How plugins work

All plugin types follow the same pattern:

1. Implement a client interface, which contains your business logic (FileTransformerClient, DepositClient, EvaluatorClient).
2. Implement a controller interface, which exposes the REST endpoints the platform calls (FileTransformerController, DepositController, EvaluatorController) under /api/file-transformer, /api/deposit, or /api/evaluator.
3. Expose a configuration endpoint, which the platform calls to discover the plugin's id and capabilities (supported formats, benchmarks, authentication methods, and so on): GET /api/file-transformer/formats, GET /api/deposit/configuration, or GET /api/evaluator/config.
4. Secure the endpoints: accept only tokens from the installation's Keycloak realm with the plugins audience (IDP_ISSUER_URI, SECURITY_AUDIENCE=plugins, IDP_CLAIMS_ROLES_PATH=plugins.roles).
5. Test it locally against a local installation; see Run and test a plugin locally.
6. Register it with OpenCDMP, for the whole installation in the API service configuration (file-transformer.sources, deposit.sources, or evaluator.sources), or for one organisation with Add plugin under Settings > Plugins. See Registering plugin services. The platform then makes the plugin available to users.

Shared data models

All plugins communicate with OpenCDMP using the Common Models package (org.opencdmp:common-models), which defines the data structures for plans, assets, and files. See Common Models for the full reference.

Plugin documentation

📄️File transformer plugin

Build a file transformer that exports and imports plans and assets - the FileTransformerClient and FileTransformerController contract, formats, export options, template validation, and deployment

📄️Deposit plugin

Build a deposit service that publishes plans to a repository - the DepositClient and DepositController contract, configuration, authentication, organisation settings, and deployment

📄️Deposit preview and metadata review

The optional preview contract of deposit services - the preview descriptor, field types and widgets, stored overrides, and vocabulary search

📄️Evaluator plugin

Build an evaluator that ranks plans and assets - the EvaluatorClient and EvaluatorController contract, benchmarks, rank results, and deployment

📄️Common models

The common-models package shared by OpenCDMP and its plugins - plan, asset, blueprint, template, reference, file, plugin configuration, and semantics manifest models

📄️Run and test a plugin locally

Run a plugin against the Docker example, get a plugins token with curl, call the configuration endpoint, register the plugin with a local installation, and package it as a Docker image