# pf4j/pf4j

Plugin Framework for Java (PF4J)

Repository: https://github.com/pf4j/pf4j
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pf4j
Homepage: http://www.pf4j.org
Language: Java
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: java, modularity, plugins
Last push: 2026-08-26T22:13:34+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5075, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 8, "gap_med": 47, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2740, forks 596 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:16.508883+00:00)

## What it is
PF4J is a lightweight (~100KB) plugin framework for Java that lets applications load, start, and stop third-party plugins implementing declared extension points. It is a simple, pure-Java alternative to OSGi with minimal dependencies and extensible descriptor/extension finders.

## Use cases
- add a plugin system to my java application
- turn a monolithic java app into a modular one
- load third-party extensions at runtime
- osgi alternative that is easy to learn
- manage plugin lifecycle and dependencies
- isolate plugin classes with separate classloaders

## When to choose
- you need a simple, lightweight plugin mechanism in a JVM application
- you want extension points without OSGi's complexity
- you need per-plugin classloader isolation and dependency management

## When to avoid
- you need full OSGi features like service registry or dynamic versioning resolution
- your project is not on the JVM
- you only need simple configuration-based customization rather than runtime plugins

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: plugin-system, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, backend, programming-languages
- platform: jvm, cross-platform
- tags: plugin-framework, modularity, osgi-alternative, extension-points, class-loading

## Member repositories
- pf4j/pf4j (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.508883+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T08:19:09.585802+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/pf4j/pf4j (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:16.508883+00:00, sha 8233b0142bf0)
  - homepage: http://www.pf4j.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:19.397888+00:00, sha 546de5f0f03c)
  - site_page: https://pf4j.org/doc/getting-started.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:19.407248+00:00, sha 6295ba500a0c)
  - site_page: https://pf4j.org/dev/quickstart.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:57:19.409419+00:00, sha 6ab8045f1ec6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.