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Containerizing Heavy Plugins

Some plugins may require significant resources (e.g. ML models, media processing, or long-running tasks). These can be containerized using Docker to isolate them from the main Talawa services and maintain performance and stability.

Why Use Containers?​

  • Run resource-heavy workloads like AI summarization or OCR
  • Keep plugin dependencies isolated from the main environment
  • Deploy independent services with their own lifecycles
  • Communicate via secure API with Talawa server or plugins

Structure​

Place the container configuration inside your plugin folder:

plugins/
└── my-heavy-plugin/
    ├── server/
    ├── admin/
    ├── mobile/
    └── docker/
        ├── Dockerfile
        └── start.sh

Sample Dockerfile​

FROM python:3.10-slim

WORKDIR /app

# Install dependencies
COPY docker/requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy plugin server files
COPY docker/ .
COPY server/ /app/server

# Expose service
EXPOSE 5001

# Start service
CMD ["python", "server/main.py"]

Communication Pattern​

  • Expose the plugin container over HTTP or WebSocket (e.g. port 5001)
  • Talawa API calls the plugin via REST/GraphQL
  • Plugins may also publish Webhooks back to Talawa

You can define your container URL inside plugin.json:

"runtime": {
  "type": "container",
  "endpoint": "http://localhost:5001"
}

Running Plugin Containers​

Use Docker Compose for development:

services:
  plugin-survey-ai:
    build: ./plugins/survey-ai/docker
    ports:
      - 5001:5001
    environment:
      - MODEL_PATH=/app/models

Run with:

docker-compose up -d

Security Best Practices​

  • Do not expose plugin containers publicly
  • Validate all data passed from/to containers
  • Use resource limits in production

When to Use​

✅ Ideal for:

  • Machine Learning plugins (e.g., summarisation, image tagging)
  • Document parsers or video processors
  • Isolated backend tools

❌ Avoid if:

  • Plugin only renders UI or simple APIs
  • Plugin runs entirely within the browser or admin panel

Containerization allows you to build powerful, scalable plugins that run independently while integrating tightly with Talawa.