This page is a curated landing hub for plugin- or modular-architecture resources in C#, authored by Dev Leader / Nick Cosentino. The goal is to help you jump into the world of plugin systems with concrete examples, patterns, and library tools.
- DotNet Plugin Architecture – CYC 2025 Talk
Download the slides
Covers:- Kernel vs Feature Plugins
- Dependency Injection & Assembly Scanning
- SDK design considerations
- Testing plugins in isolation
- Needlr (Scrutor + Autofac-style library)
| Title | Description / Key Topics |
|---|---|
| How I Made C# Plugins Super Simple in My DotNet Apps! | Walkthrough of using Needlr for plugin-style design. |
| Minimizing Boilerplate C# By Refactoring With Needlr | Refactoring to reduce DI boilerplate, showing how plugin setup becomes easier. |
| Plugin Architecture in C# – Principal Software Engineering AMA | Your perspectives on plugin-related architecture questions. |
👉 More videos: Dev Leader YouTube Channel
| Title | Summary / Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Plugin Architecture in C# for Improved Software Design | Intro + patterns for loading, discovery, and managing plugin modules. |
| Plugin Architectures in DotNet (Dev Leader Weekly #54) | Reflection, DI, and the tradeoffs when building plugin systems. |
| Plugin Architecture in ASP.NET Core – How To Master It | Practical walkthrough for plugin support in ASP.NET Core, including Autofac. |
| Blazor Plugin Architecture – How To Manage Dynamic Loading & Lifecycle | Applying modularity in Blazor apps, lifecycle, and DI. |
| Blazor Plugin Architecture – A How To Guide | Step-by-step guide for plugin support in Blazor + Autofac. |
| Plugin Architecture Design Pattern — A Beginner’s Guide to Modularity | High-level overview of plugin pattern concepts and rationale. |
- Needlr – DI scanning and plugin registration library.
- Autofac – Popular IoC container, strong for modular organization.
- Scrutor – Assembly scanning extensions for Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.
- Plugin SDK / Contracts – Interfaces for communication between host and plugins.
- Assembly Scanning – Discover and register plugin types dynamically.
- Testing – Feature plugins test in isolation; kernel plugins require integration coverage.
- Watch the videos to see plugin architectures in action.
- Read the blog posts to dive into design patterns, trade-offs, and code samples.
- Explore Needlr and wire up a minimal plugin project.
- Start small:
- Define an
IPlugincontract. - Load a plugin DLL at runtime.
- Register via DI container.
- Resolve and invoke
IEnumerable<IPlugin>.
- Define an
- Grow incrementally: Add plugin metadata, lifecycle hooks, and hot reload.
NOTE: after CYC2025, I will have a live stream and add that content to here as well.
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