Plugin / Extension System Stack (TypeScript, JSON Schema, Vitest, npm, esbuild) overview

A plugin and extension system architecture for building extensible TypeScript applications. JSON Schema defines plugin manifests and configuration contracts. Zod performs runtime validation of plugin inputs and outputs. esbuild bundles plugins into self-contained modules with minimal dependencies. Vitest tests both the plugin host runtime and individual plugin implementations. npm serves as the distribution registry. Designed for teams building extensible developer tools, CMS platforms, and automation frameworks where third-party code must execute safely within a host process. The tradeoff is the security boundary — plugins running in-process share the host's permissions, requiring careful sandboxing or capability-based access control to prevent malicious extensions.