Custom Plugin Repository

If you intend to use a plugin repository other than the JetBrains Marketplace, you will need to:

Create and maintain an updatePlugins.xml* file on the HTTPS web server you are using for your custom repository. This file describes all the plugins available in your custom repository and each plugin's download URL.
Upload your plugin JAR/ZIP file to an HTTPS web server. This can be the same web server you are using for the custom repository or a different HTTPS web server.
Add the URL for the custom repository to the JetBrains IDE Repository Settings.

* The updatePlugin.xml file name is not fixed and can be different.

To avoid collisions between private plugins and those hosted on JetBrains Marketplace, an organization can reserve plugin IDs.

To provide custom authentication, implement PluginRepositoryAuthProvider registered in com.intellij.pluginRepositoryAuthProvider extension point.

Describing Your Plugins in updatePlugins.xml File

Every custom plugin repository must have at least one updatePlugins.xml file to describe every hosted plugin's latest available version. The description in updatePlugins.xml is used by JetBrains IDEs to locate plugins by attributes such as identifier, IDE version, and plugin version. These attributes are displayed by JetBrains IDEs to help users select or upgrade plugins. The description also tells the JetBrains IDE where to download the plugin itself.

A custom plugin repository's updatePlugins.xml file is constructed and maintained by the repository administrator. More than one updatePlugins.xml file may be required if the custom repository consumers are using more than one version of a JetBrains IDE. For example, updatePlugins-182.xml, updatePlugins-183.xml for IntelliJ IDEA 2018.2 and 2018.3, respectively. Each updatePlugins-*.xml file will have a unique URL that is added to the JetBrains IDE Repository Settings.

Format of updatePlugins.xml File

The format of an updatePlugins.xml file is simply a list of sequential elements that describe each plugin:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
The <plugins> element (required) contains the description of the plugins
available at this repository.
-->
<plugins>
  <!--
  Each <plugin> element (required) describes one plugin in the repository.
  Attributes:
   - "id" (required) - used by JetBrains IDEs to uniquely identify
     a plugin. Must match <id> in the plugin.xml file.
   - "url" (required) - URL to download the plugin JAR/ZIP file.
     Must be HTTPS.
   - "version" (required) - version of this plugin. Must match <version>
     in the plugin.xml file.
  -->
  <plugin
      id="fully.qualified.id.of.this.plugin"
      url="https://mycompany.example.com/my_repo/my_plugin.jar"
      version="major.minor.update">
    <!--
    The <idea-version> element (required) must match the same element
    in the plugin.xml file.
    -->
    <idea-version since-build="181.3" until-build="191.*"/>
  </plugin>
  <plugin
      id="id.of.different.plugin"
      url="https://othercompany.example.com/other_repo/other_plugin.jar"
      version="major.minor">
    <idea-version since-build="181.3" until-build="191.*"/>
  </plugin>
  <!-- And so on for other plugins... -->
</plugins>

Notes:

An updatePlugins.xml file must contain at least one <plugin> element.
A plugin id may be listed only once in an updatePlugins.xml file.
Multiple plugins with the same id but different idea-version attributes must be split into separate updatePlugins-*.xml files. The requesting IDE's version is passed as build parameter and can be used for server-side filtering.

Optional updatePlugin.xml Elements

During plugin installation, the IDE reads the plugin JAR/ZIP file and thereafter displays more information about the plugin. In some cases, additional information included in updatePlugins.xml might help a user select a plugin when browsing the custom plugin repository before installation. The decision on what elements should be included in the file depends on the plugins and repository consumers. It is recommended to avoid adding unnecessary elements as they will have to be synchronized with each plugin's plugin.xml file.

The additional candidate elements:

Element	Effects & Requirements
<name> My Plugin Name </name>	By default, the name of the plugin JAR/ZIP file is displayed before installation. Using the `<name>` element displays the name of the plugin. Contents should match the `<name>` element contents in the plugin's plugin.xml file to avoid confusion.
<description> My plugin is awesome </description>	By default, no description for the plugin is displayed before installation. Using the `<description>` element will cause a description to be displayed before installation. Contents should match the `<description>` element contents in the plugin's plugin.xml file to avoid confusion. Optionally, an enclosing `<![CDATA[ ]]>` element can be used if the description needs to contain HTML tags.
<change-notes> Added cool feature </change-notes>	By default, no change notes for the plugin are displayed before installation. Using the `<change-notes>` element will cause a description of changes to be displayed before installation. Contents should match the `<change-notes>` element contents in the plugin's plugin.xml file to avoid confusion. Optionally, an enclosing `<![CDATA[ ]]>` element can be used if the change notes need to contain HTML tags.
<depends> dependency.plugin.id </depends>	Adding a plugin dependency in the `<depends>` element will cause asking a user about enabling the dependency plugin, if it is installed and disabled in the IDE. A plugin can specify multiple `<depends>` elements. A plugin entry should include only the dependencies on other plugins that are defined by the `<depends>` elements in the plugin's plugin.xml file. The `optional` and `config-file` attributes are ignored and shouldn't be specified.

Last modified: 10 April 2024