External plugin development [external-plugin-development]

::::{important} The {{kib}} plugin interfaces are in a state of constant development. We cannot provide backwards compatibility for plugins due to the high rate of change. {{kib}} enforces that the installed plugins match the version of {{kib}} itself. Plugin developers will have to release a new version of their plugin for each new {{kib}} release as a result.

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Most developers who contribute code directly to the {{kib}} repo are writing code inside plugins, so our Contributing docs are the best place to start. However, there are a few differences when developing plugins outside the {{kib}} repo. These differences are covered here.

• Plugin tooling
• Functional Tests for Plugins outside the {{kib}} repo
• Localization for plugins outside the {{kib}} repo
• Testing {{kib}} Plugins