Install a plugin

Let’s learn how to install a plugin in ArchiHUB to extend the capabilities of our application.

The plugins that ship with the application

The plugins installed in your archive from the start come with the backend and cover the basic functionality, such as inventory creation, bulk edits and file processing.

Other plugins are commonly found in a separate repository.

Important: ArchiHUB 2.0 only loads plugins written for version 2.0. A plugin for version 1.x does not work: before installing one, check in its repository that it supports version 2.0.

Installation

1. Copy the plugin: download the plugin and copy its folder into getting-started/local-machine/archihub/backend/archihub/plugins/. The folder name must be the plugin’s name, for example archihub/plugins/transcribeWhisperX.

2. Configure the plugin: if the plugin ships a .env.example file, copy it as .env in the same folder and fill in its values. Each plugin’s settings go in its own .env, not in the installation’s .env.

3. Rebuild the images: from the local-machine/archihub folder, run:

   docker compose up -d --build

   The build installs the dependencies the plugin declares: its Python packages (requirements.txt) and any system programs it needs (packages.txt). You do not have to install anything by hand.

4. Activate the plugin: go to the Plugins submenu in System administration and activate it.

   

   When a plugin is activated or deactivated, the application restarts the backend and the processing nodes to apply the change. There is no need to restart the containers.

We can now go back to the processing menu, where the new plugin should appear as active.

After installing

• Settings changes: each plugin’s .env is read at startup. After changing it, restart from the system configuration (Reinicio del sistema → Reiniciar backend) or with docker compose restart.
• Code changes: the containers run the plugin code that was copied into the image when it was built. If you update a plugin, run docker compose up -d --build again.
• Processing queues: some plugins send their tasks to a specific queue (high, medium or low) that the default node does not consume. If the plugin says so, enable the celery_worker_queues service as explained in the advanced configuration.

That’s all for now. You can explore the general plugin guide to learn more, or learn how to create your own plugin.