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Plugin structure

When creating a plugin with the CLI generator, Strapi generates the following boilerplate structure for you in the ./src/plugins/my-plugin folder:

A Strapi plugin is divided into 2 parts, each living in a different folder and offering a different API:

Plugin partDescriptionFolderAPI
Admin panelIncludes what will be visible in the admin panel (components, navigation, settings, etc.)/adminAdmin Panel API
Backend serverIncludes what relates to the backend server (content-types, controllers, middlewares, etc.)/serverServer API
Notes about the usefulness of the different parts for your specific use case

  • Server-only plugin: You can create a plugin that will just use the server part to enhance the API of your application. For instance, this plugin could have its own visible or invisible content-types, controller actions, and routes that are useful for a specific use case. In such a scenario, you don't need your plugin to have an interface in the admin panel.

  • Admin panel plugin vs. application-specific customization: You can create a plugin to inject some components into the admin panel. However, you can also achieve this by creating a ./src/admin/app.js file and invoking the bootstrap lifecycle function to inject your components. In this case, deciding whether to create a plugin depends on whether you plan to reuse and distribute the code or if it's only useful for a unique Strapi application.

:::strapi What to read next? The next steps of your Strapi plugin development journey will require you to use any of the Strapi plugins APIs.

2 different types of resources help you understand how to use the plugin APIs:

  • The reference documentation for the Admin Panel API and Server API give an overview of what is possible to do with a Strapi plugin.
  • Guides cover some specific, use-case based examples. :::