# Plugin Management in Split Mode

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/docs/intellij/llms.txt).

A plugin can be installed on the backend, on the frontend, or on both sides. This article explains how the platform determines that and how plugin synchronization works.

A separate question is which modules of an installed plugin are actually loaded in each process. For split plugins, module loadability is controlled by content-module dependencies such as `intellij.platform.backend` and `intellij.platform.frontend`. See [Modular Plugins](modular-plugins.html) and [Split Mode](split-mode-and-remote-development.html) for details.

## Compatibility Check

A plugin may be:

* compatible only with the backend

* compatible only with the frontend

* compatible with both sides

Compatibility is determined by the dependencies declared by the plugin and its content modules. By default, content modules are optional, which means that if a particular module's dependencies are not satisfied, that module is not loaded, but this does not affect the loading of other plugin modules. As a result, if the plugin dependencies are satisfied, the plugin is loaded. If a plugin consists of multiple modules and the dependencies of at least one module are satisfied, the plugin is loaded. For more details about modules and dependencies, see [Modular Plugins](modular-plugins.html).

When a plugin is installed from JetBrains Marketplace, the plugin manager checks its compatibility with both the frontend and the backend and installs it wherever its dependencies are satisfied.

## Plugin Sync Flow

When a project is opened, the frontend and backend plugin sets are compared. If a difference is detected, the IDE shows a plugin synchronization notification, allowing the user to choose which plugins to install on each side.

### Current Limitation

Plugin synchronization currently works only for plugins that are available on [JetBrains Marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com).

If a plugin is installed only from a local ZIP or JAR file, the synchronization flow cannot resolve it for the other side through Marketplace metadata. For a more convenient installation method than ad hoc local archives, consider publishing the plugin to JetBrains Marketplace or using a [custom plugin repository](custom-plugin-repository.html).

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