.. _plugins_overview:

===============
IPython plugins
===============

IPython has a plugin mechanism that allows users to create new and custom
runtime components for IPython. Plugins are different from extensions:

* Extensions are used to load plugins.
* Extensions are a more advanced configuration system that gives you access
  to the running IPython instance.
* Plugins add entirely new capabilities to IPython.
* Plugins are traited and configurable.

At this point, our plugin system is brand new and the documentation is 
minimal. If you are interested in creating a new plugin, see the following
files:

* :file:`IPython/extensions/parallemagic.py`
* :file:`IPython/extensions/pretty.`

As well as our documentation on the configuration system and extensions.