Custom plugins

General architecture

A plugin generally exists of at least three classes

• The plugin itself that executes the logic to its job, usually implementing a specific interface
• The options class (inheriting from PluginOptions) that holds all the information required to execute the plugin in the context of a specific renewal. It should be decorated with [Plugin("{GUID}")] as a unique identifier.
• The options factory class (implementing IPluginOptionsFactory) that gathers the options from the command line and/or from interaction with the user

Often two more classes are added

• A arguments class that holds command line arguments that users can provide to the plugin
• An arguments provider class that implements IArgumentsProvider describes and validates those arguments

Target

Purpose: generate a Target (list of domain names and common name to generate a certificate for). Starting points to inherit from:

• TPlugin: ITargetPlugin instance of TOptions can be provided to the constructor via DI
• TOptions: TargetPluginOptions<TPlugin>
• TOptionsFactory: TargetPluginOptionsFactory<TPlugin, TOptions>

Validation

Purpose: validate a single identifier included in the target. Starting points to inherit from:

• VPlugin: Validation<VOptions, Http01ChallengeValidationDetails>
• VOptions: ValidationPluginOptions<VPlugin>
• VOptionsFactory: ValidationPluginOptionsFactory<VPlugin, VOptions>

CSR

Purpose: generate CSR.

• CPlugin: CsrPlugin<CPlugin, COptions>
• COptions: CsrPluginOptions<CPlugin>
• COptionsFactory: CsrPluginOptionsFactory<CPlugin, COptions>

Store

Purpose: place the requested certificate somewhere it can be used by applications.

• SPlugin: IStorePlugin
• SOptions: StorePluginOptions<SPlugin>
• SOptionsFactory: StorePluginOptionsFactory<SPlugin, SOptions>

Installation

Purpose: configure an application to use the new certificate.

• IPlugin: IInstallationPlugin
• IOptions: InstallationPluginOptions<IPlugin>
• IOptionsFactory: InstallationPluginFactory<IPlugin, IOptions>