intellij-sdk-code-samples/basics/getting_started/plugin_compatibility.md

title
Plugin Compatibility with IntelliJ Platform Products

Introduction

All products based on the IntelliJ Platform are built on the same underlying API. Some of these products share features built on top of the platform, such as Java support in IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio. Underlying those shared features are shared components. When authoring a plugin for the IntelliJ Platform, it is important to understand and declare dependencies on these components. Otherwise, it may not be possible to load or run the plugin in a product because the components on which it depends aren't available.

Declaring Plugin Dependencies

For the purposes of dependencies, a module can be thought of like a built-in plugin that ships as a non-removable part of a product. A working definition of a dependency is that a plugin project cannot be run without the module present in an IntelliJ Platform-based product. Declaring a dependency on a module also expresses a plugin's compatibility with a product in that the IntelliJ Platform determines whether a product contains the correct modules to support a plugin before loading it.

Note:

• If a plugin does not include any module dependency tags in its plugin.xml file, it's assumed to be a legacy plugin and is loaded only in IntelliJ IDEA. This form of dependency "non-declaration" is deprecated; do not use it for new plugin projects.
• If the plugin.xml file includes one or more dependency tags, the plugin is only loaded by the IntelliJ Platform if the product contains all the modules on which the plugin depends.

Part I of this document describes the syntax for declaring plugin dependencies and optional plugin dependencies.
Part II of this document (below) describes the functionality of the IntelliJ Platform modules to aid in determining the dependencies of a plugin.

Modules

A module represents a built-in plugin that is a non-removable part of a product. Some modules are available in all products, and some modules are available only in some, or even just one product. This section identifies and discusses modules of both types.

Modules Available in All Products

A core set of modules are available in all products based on the IntelliJ Platform. These modules provide a set of shared functionality.

The following table lists modules that are currently available in all products. Module FQN is listed on the left, an overview of functionality is listed in the middle column, and availability in products is listed on the right.

Note

By convention, all plugins should declare a dependency on com.intellij.modules.lang.

Plugin Dependency: Module or Built-in Plugin	Functionality	IntelliJ Platform-Based Products
com.intellij.modules.platform	Messaging, UI Themes, UI Components, Files, Documents, Actions, Components, Services, Extensions, Editors	All
com.intellij.modules.lang	File Type, Lexer, Parser, Highlighting, References, Code Completion, Find, Rename, Formatter, Code Navigation	All
com.intellij.modules.xml	XML, XML DOM, XSD/DTD, DOM Model	All
com.intellij.modules.vcs	VCS Revision Numbers, File Status, Change Lists, File History, Annotations	All
com.intellij.modules.xdebugger	Debug Session, Stack Frames, Break Points, Source Positions, Memory Views, Tracked Instances	All

For example, if a plugin is dependent only on one or more of the modules in the table above, and declares the module dependencies in plugin.xml, then any product based on the IntelliJ Platform will load it.

Modules Specific to Functionality

More specialized functionality is also delivered via modules in IntelliJ Platform-based products. For example, the com.intellij.modules.java module supports the language-specific Java functionality. If a plugin uses functionality from this module, such as Java-specific inspections and refactoring, it must declare a dependency on this module.

Note that not all products define and declare modules. For example, PhpStorm does not have its own module, but the product itself depends on (and ships with) the PHP language plugin. A plugin project is compatible with PHP functionality if it declares a dependency on this PHP language plugin.

The following table lists modules or built-in plugins that provide specific functionality, and the products that currently ship with them. Module FQN is listed on the left, an overview of functionality is listed in the middle column, and availability in products is listed on the right:

Plugin Dependency: Module or Built-in Plugin	Functionality	IntelliJ Platform-Based Products
com.intellij.modules.java	Java language PSI Model, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio
com.intellij.modules.ultimate	JavaScript and TypeScript language PSI Models, Java EE, JVM Frameworks: Spring, Play, Grails...	IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition
com.intellij.modules.androidstudio	Android SDK Platform, Build Tools, Platform Tools, SDK Tools	Android Studio
com.intellij.modules.appcode	CocoaPods, Core Data Objects, Device & Simulator Support	AppCode
com.intellij.modules.cidr.lang	C, C++, Objective-C/C++ language PSI Model, Swift/Objective-C Interaction, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	AppCode, CLion
com.intellij.modules.cidr.debugger	Debugger Watches, Evaluations, Breakpoints, Inline Debugging	AppCode, CLion, RubyMine
com.intellij.modules.clion	CMake, Profiler, Embedded Development, Remote Development, Remote Debug, Disassembly	CLion
com.intellij.modules.database	SQL language PSI Model, Inspections, Completion, Refactoring, Queries	IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition, DataGrip, GoLand, PhpStorm, PyCharm, Rider, RubyMine
com.intellij.modules.go	Go language PSI Model, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	GoLand
com.intellij.modules.python	Python language PSI Model, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	PyCharm
com.intellij.modules.rider	Connection to ReSharper Process in Background	Rider
com.intellij.modules.ruby	Ruby language PSI Model, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	RubyMine
com.jetbrains.php	PHP language PSI Model, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	PhpStorm (built-in plugin)
com.intellij.modules.webstorm	Web languages PSI Models, Inspections, Intentions, Completion, Refactoring, Test Framework	WebStorm

Verifying Dependency

Before marking a plugin project as dependent only on modules in a target product in addition to com.intellij.modules.lang, verify the plugin isn't implicitly dependent on any APIs that are specific to IntelliJ IDEA. To verify a plugin project's independence, create an SDK pointing to an installation of the intended target IntelliJ Platform-based product, e.g., PhpStorm, rather than IntelliJ IDEA. Use the same development version of the IntelliJ platform as the targeted product. Additional product-specific information about developing for the IntelliJ Platform is documented in Part VIII.

Based on the tables above, the JetBrains plugin repository automatically detects the JetBrains products with which a plugin is compatible, and makes the compatibility information available to plugin authors. The compatibility information determines which plugins are available to users of a particular JetBrains product at the plugin repository.

Platform API Compatibility

The API of IntelliJ Platform and bundled plugins may change between releases. The significant changes that may break plugins are listed on Incompatible Changes in IntelliJ Platform and Plugins API page.