--- dimensions: type: primary: conceptual detail: introduction level: beginner standard_title: Getting Started Dify Plugin language: en title: Welcome to Dify Plugin Development description: An introduction to Dify plugins' concepts, functions, and development value, including brief explanations of plugin types (Model, Tool, Agent Strategy, Extension, Bundle), and an overview of developer documentation contents. --- Hello! We're delighted that you're interested in building Dify plugins. This developer documentation center is your core resource, designed to help you learn, create, debug, publish, and manage Dify plugins. **What are Dify Plugins?** You can think of Dify plugins as modular components that give AI applications **enhanced perception and execution capabilities**. They make it possible to integrate external services, custom functions, and specialized tools into AI applications built with Dify in a "plug-and-play" manner. Through plugins, your AI applications can better "see," "hear," "speak," "draw," "calculate," "reason," connect to external APIs, and even perform real-world actions. As a **plugin developer**, you can build exclusive functional extensions for your own Dify applications, or contribute your innovations to the entire Dify ecosystem, benefiting more users. **In this developer documentation, you will find:** This documentation aims to provide clear guidance for plugin developers, whether you're a first-time experimenter or seeking advanced customization: - **[Quick Start](/plugin-dev-en/0211-getting-started-dify-tool):** Learn the basic concepts of the Dify plugin system, understand its core architecture, and quickly set up your development environment to build your first "Hello World" plugin. - **[Core Concepts](/plugin-dev-en/0131-cheatsheet):** Gain a deep understanding of key principles such as plugin lifecycle, security model, Endpoint Integration, Reverse Call, persistent storage, and more. - **Developing Different Types of Plugins:** Specific development guides for each plugin type: - **[Models](/plugin-dev-en/0211-getting-started-new-model):** Learn how to package, configure, and manage different AI models as plugins. - **[Tools](/plugin-dev-en/0211-getting-started-dify-tool):** Build specialized capabilities for Agents and workflows, such as data analysis, content processing, custom integrations, and more. - **[Agent Strategies](/plugin-dev-en/9433-agent-strategy-plugin):** Create custom reasoning strategies (like ReAct, CoT, ToT) to empower autonomous Agents in Dify. - **[Extensions](/plugin-dev-en/9231-extension-plugin):** Implement integration with external services through HTTP Webhooks to handle complex logic. - **[Bundles](/plugin-dev-en/9241-bundle):** Learn how to combine multiple plugins into packages for easy distribution and deployment. - **[Development and Debugging](/plugin-dev-en/0411-remote-debug-a-plugin):** Master the tools and techniques for efficient plugin development, including using the SDK, leveraging our friendly remote debugging features, and testing your plugins. - **[Publishing and Marketplace](/plugin-dev-en/0321-release-overview):** Learn how to package your plugins, submit them to the official Dify Marketplace, or share them with the community through channels like GitHub. - **[API & SDK Reference](/plugin-dev-en/0411-general-specifications):** Find detailed technical specifications for APIs, SDK methods, Manifest file formats, and required Schemas. - **[Community and Contributions](/plugin-dev-en/0312-contributor-covenant-code-of-conduct):** Learn how to communicate with other developers, seek help, and contribute to the Dify plugin ecosystem and this documentation. **Why Choose to Develop Dify Plugins?** - **Extend AI Capabilities:** Give Dify-based applications unlimited possibilities through specialized tools, multimodal processing, connection to real-world services, and more. - **Customize the Dify Experience:** By building dedicated plugins, precisely meet the needs of specific business scenarios or workflows. - **Reshape Intelligent Processes:** Use custom tools and Agent strategies to optimize RAG processes and enhance Agent reasoning capabilities. - **Achieve Modularity and Decoupling:** Develop and manage functions as independent plugins, improving code maintainability and flexibility. - **Reach Dify Users:** Share your innovative achievements with the broader Dify user community through the Dify Marketplace. - **Enjoy a Developer-Friendly Experience:** We provide powerful SDKs, convenient remote debugging tools, and clear documentation to help you develop efficiently. **Ready to Start Building?** Here are some quick entry points to help you get started: - **[Read the Quick Start Guide](/plugin-dev-en/0211-getting-started-dify-tool)** - Begin by building a simple tool plugin - **[Explore the Plugin Development Cheatsheet](/plugin-dev-en/0131-cheatsheet)** - Understand core concepts and common commands - **[Initialize Your Development Environment](/plugin-dev-en/0221-initialize-development-tools)** - Set up your development environment - **[Check the FAQ](/plugin-dev-en/0331-faq)** - Get answers to common questions ## Related Resources - **[Model Plugin Introduction](/plugin-dev-en/0411-model-plugin-introduction)** - Learn about the basic structure of model plugins - **[Development Practice Example](/plugin-dev-en/0432-develop-a-slack-bot-plugin)** - View a real plugin development case We look forward to seeing the great applications and features you create using Dify plugins! {/* Contributing Section DO NOT edit this section! It will be automatically generated by the script. */} --- [Edit this page](https://github.com/langgenius/dify-docs/edit/main/plugin-dev-en/0111-getting-started-dify-plugin.mdx) | [Report an issue](https://github.com/langgenius/dify-docs/issues/new?template=docs.yml)