Plugins for Builder help you integrate a third-party service and customize nearly every part of Builder's Visual Editor and models.
Plugins are a powerful tool for customizing the Visual Editor to make it easier for users to manage and create content.
Plugins help you:
- Create custom types.
- Extend the Visual Editor's user interface.
There are three types of plugins in Builder:
- Built-in plugins: On the Integrations page in Builder, use these ready-made plugins to help you integrate with e-commerce platforms and external data providers with minimal configuration. All plans can use the built-in plugins.
- Public plugins: You code these, publish to
npm, and then submit your information via this form to request addition to the built-in integrations page. Public plugins are not supported by Builder engineers, but are maintained and updated by the community via a public repo. All plans can submit public plugins. - Private plugins: You code these but they do not become part of the Builder ecosystem because you maintain them privately. Private plugins are available on all Enterprise plans while plugins with your own branding are available as an add-on for Enterprise customers.
The table below summarizes these points:
| Built-in | Public | Private | |
|---|---|---|---|
Who can use them | All plans | All plans | Enterprise only |
Where to find them | Within the Plugins tab of your Builder dashboard | Within the Builder GitHub repository | Maintained privately by your own team |
Pros | Available to everyone and already accessible within Builder | Access to a wide range of tools thanks to our community | You have complete control over the plugin details and implementation |
Use built-in plugins for integrating your Builder account space with with e-commerce platforms and external data providers.
Built-in plugins include everything in Integrations, such as:
For a full list, see Integrations and for further documentation, refer to Overview of Built-in Plugins.
Use public plugins when you want to customize the Builder Visual Editor UI and you are willing to share your plugin with others. Common use cases for public plugins are:
- Adding your own custom types for a model, such as a rich text editor
- Customizing the Builder Visual Editor
- Targeting content based on what users have in their cart
- Customizing Symbol inputs
- Creating an action plugin to trigger events in Google Analytics
- Adding an image management plugin
- Integrating with Shopify
For more details and instructions on creating plugins, see Extending the Builder UI with Plugins and Making a Plugin.
Create private plugins when you have needs specific to your company that you need to keep accessible only within your organization. Examples include:
- Customizing the look and feel of Builder with your own branding
- Adding custom flows for creating e-mail campaigns
Using and creating plugins opens up countless possibilities. For more info on plugins, check out the following documents:
- Overview of Built-in Plugins—an introduction to the plugins already available in Builder.
- Making a Plugin—a tutorial on how to create your own plugin.
- Builder.io plugin examples on GitHub