How to pass configuration settings and options to loaded plugins in Golang?

In Go, you can pass configuration settings and options to loaded plugins by defining a contract between your application and the plugins. Here are a few approaches you can take:

1. Define interfaces and structs:

   • Create a package that contains interface definitions for the functionality the plugin should provide. For example, if your plugin needs to perform some processing, define an interface with a Process method.
   • Create a struct that implements the interface and also contains any configuration settings the plugin needs. The plugin will receive this struct as an argument when it is loaded.
   • In your application, import the plugin package and load the plugin using the plugin package.
   • Use reflection to check if the plugin implements the expected interface and execute the required functionality.
   • Pass the necessary configuration settings to the plugin by populating the struct with the appropriate values before calling the plugin's functions.

2. Use function callbacks:

   • Define a callback function type that represents the functionality the plugin should provide. For example, if your plugin needs to process a message, define a function type ProcessFunc that takes a message as input.
   • Create a function in your plugin package that accepts the callback function as an argument along with any configuration settings.
   • Load the plugin using the plugin package and call the function, passing the callback function and configuration settings as arguments.
   • In your plugin, call the callback function whenever the required functionality needs to be executed, passing any necessary data as arguments.

3. Use configuration files:

   • Define a configuration file format that your plugins will read and parse to obtain their configuration settings. This could be a JSON, YAML, or any other format.
   • Provide a mechanism in your application for loading the plugins and passing the path to the configuration file to the plugins.
   • In the plugin package, create a function that accepts the path to the configuration file as an argument and reads and parses the file to obtain the configuration settings.
   • Use the obtained configuration settings within your plugin as required.

Choose the approach that fits your specific use case and design goals.