# didi/VirtualAPK

A powerful and lightweight plugin framework for Android

Repository: https://github.com/didi/VirtualAPK
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/virtualapk
Language: Java
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2023-07-13T22:06:36+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3352, "days_push": 1147, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 9051, forks 1534 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:28.147826+00:00)

## What it is
VirtualAPK is a lightweight Android plugin framework by Didi that dynamically loads and runs APK files as if they were installed applications. It supports Activities, Services, Receivers, and Providers from loaded plugins without manifest registration, and includes a Gradle plugin for building plugin APKs.

## Use cases
- dynamically load an apk inside an android app
- run plugin activities and services without installing them
- split a large android app into loadable plugin modules
- hot-fix or update android app features without a store release
- share host app classes and resources with a loaded plugin

## When to choose
- you need to load and run full APKs dynamically on Android API 15+
- you want plugin components (Activity, Service, Receiver, Provider) to work without manifest registration
- you need a mature, widely used Android plugin framework with Gradle build integration

## When to avoid
- you target only the latest Android versions with modern alternatives like App Bundles
- your project requires active community development - the project is in maintenance mode
- you need iOS or cross-platform plugin support

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: plugin-system, mobile-framework, developer-tools
- domain: mobile-development, android-tools, developer-tools
- platform: jvm
- tags: android-plugin-framework, dynamic-loading, apk-loading, gradle-plugin, didi, android

## Member repositories
- didi/VirtualAPK (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.147826+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 2026-08-29T17:24:02.904714+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/didi/VirtualAPK (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.147826+00:00, sha 9d0ca92e9a5f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.