Dynamic Mod Management: Backend Implementation Guide
In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the implementation of dynamic mod management for backend systems. Our focus will be on enabling users to add or remove modifications (mods) without requiring a restart of the network. This capability is crucial for maintaining system uptime and flexibility. We'll explore the functional requirements, deliverables, and implementation steps necessary to achieve this goal. Let's dive in and discover how to build a robust and adaptable mod management system.
Overview and Objectives
Our primary goal is to tackle the issue of static mod configurations. Currently, mods must be configured within the network's YAML file before the system starts. This inflexibility means that any addition or removal of mods necessitates a complete restart of the network. This is not ideal for systems that require continuous operation or those that need to adapt quickly to changing requirements. Dynamic mod management offers a solution by allowing mods to be loaded and unloaded at runtime, thus eliminating the need for restarts.
The objective is to implement a system that can dynamically load and unload mods via system-level events. This feature will empower users to manage plugins on-the-fly, without disrupting the network's operation. The estimated timeline for this implementation is approximately one person-day, reflecting the focused nature of the task.
To make this objective concrete, consider a scenario where a new security patch is released as a mod. In a system without dynamic mod management, applying this patch would require taking the entire network offline, installing the mod, and then restarting the network. This process can be time-consuming and disruptive, especially for critical systems. With dynamic mod management, the patch can be applied instantly, without any downtime. This illustrates the practical benefits of our objective, providing a more responsive and resilient system.
Furthermore, the ability to dynamically manage mods opens up new possibilities for experimentation and customization. Developers can easily test new features or configurations by loading and unloading mods as needed. This iterative approach can significantly accelerate the development process and lead to more innovative solutions. The system becomes more agile and adaptable, capable of evolving with changing needs and priorities.
Functional Requirements
To achieve our goal of dynamic mod management, we need to define specific functional requirements. These requirements will guide the implementation process and ensure that the final system meets our objectives. We will focus on dynamic mod loading and unloading, system events, mod registry, and health API integration.
1. Dynamic Mod Loading
Dynamic mod loading is the cornerstone of our system. This functionality allows mods to be loaded into the running network based on their file path. The system should automatically derive a unique mod ID from this path. This ensures that each mod can be uniquely identified and managed. When a mod is loaded, it must be registered with the running network. This registration process makes the mod available for use by other components of the system. The mod must also be initialized with the current network state to ensure it operates correctly within the existing environment. This initialization step may involve setting up necessary data structures or establishing connections to other services.
Furthermore, the system must register the mod's event handlers. Event handlers are functions that respond to specific events within the system. By registering these handlers, the mod can participate in the network's event-driven architecture. Finally, the system should notify agents within the network about the availability of the new mod. This notification ensures that agents are aware of the mod and can begin using its features.
2. Dynamic Mod Unloading
Equally important is the ability to dynamically unload mods. Dynamic mod unloading involves removing a mod from the running network. This process must be handled carefully to avoid disrupting the system's operation. The system should first clean up any resources used by the mod, such as memory or network connections. This cleanup is essential to prevent resource leaks and maintain system stability. The event handlers registered by the mod must be unregistered to ensure they no longer receive events. The system should then notify agents of the mod's removal, allowing them to adjust their behavior accordingly. Preserving network stability during the unload process is a critical requirement. The system should be designed to prevent crashes or other issues that could arise from removing a mod while it is in use.
3. System Events
To facilitate dynamic mod management, we will introduce two new system-level operational events: system.mod.load and system.mod.unload. These events serve as the primary mechanism for loading and unloading mods.
The system.mod.load event is used to dynamically load a mod. The payload for this event includes the mod_path, which specifies the location of the mod, and an optional config dictionary, which allows for custom configuration of the mod. The response to this event includes a success flag, a mod_id derived from the mod_path, and a message indicating the result of the operation. A successful load event will return a success flag set to true, along with the mod_id and a message confirming the successful load.
Conversely, the system.mod.unload event is used to dynamically unload a mod. The payload for this event includes the mod_path of the mod to be unloaded. The response to this event is similar to the load event, including a success flag, the mod_id, and a message. A successful unload event will return a success flag set to true, along with the mod_id and a message confirming the successful unload.
4. Mod Registry
To keep track of loaded mods, we need a mod registry. This registry will maintain a record of all mods that are currently loaded in the system. It should provide functionality to query the status of loaded mods, allowing other components to check whether a specific mod is available. The registry should also prevent duplicate mod loading, ensuring that the same mod is not loaded multiple times. This is important to avoid conflicts and maintain system integrity.
The mod registry will serve as a central repository for information about loaded mods. It will allow the system to quickly determine which mods are active and their current state. This information is crucial for various operations, such as event handling and resource management.
5. Health API Integration
Finally, we need to integrate the mod management system with the health API. The health API provides a way to monitor the status of the system. By including information about loaded mods in the health API endpoint, we can gain real-time insight into the mod management system's operation. The health API should expose the list of loaded mods, along with their status and metadata. This allows administrators to quickly assess the system's configuration and identify any issues related to mod loading or unloading. The health API should reflect mod load and unload operations in real-time, providing an accurate view of the system's current state.
Expected Deliverables
The successful implementation of dynamic mod management will result in several key deliverables. These deliverables span across code, API, and testing, ensuring a comprehensive solution.
Code
The core of our deliverables lies in the code. We will develop a dynamic mod loader service, which is responsible for loading and unloading mods at runtime. This service will interact with the mod registry and the network to manage the mod lifecycle. We will also implement event handlers for the system.mod.load and system.mod.unload events. These handlers will process the events and perform the necessary actions to load or unload mods. A mod registry will be developed to track loaded mods, providing functionality to register, unregister, and query mods. A mechanism for the safe shutdown of unloading mods is crucial to prevent data loss or corruption. This mechanism will ensure that mods are properly cleaned up before being unloaded. Finally, we will integrate the mod management system with the health API, allowing the status of loaded mods to be monitored.
API
To interact with the mod management system programmatically, we will extend the Network API with new functions. The Network class will include methods to dynamically load and unload mods, as well as a method to retrieve a list of currently loaded mods. The load_mod method will take the mod path and an optional configuration dictionary as input. It will dynamically load the mod and register it with the network. The unload_mod method will take the mod path as input and unload the mod from the network. The get_loaded_mods method will return a list of mod IDs that are currently loaded.
# Network API additions
class Network:
async def load_mod(self, mod_path: str, config: dict = None):
"""Dynamically load a mod (mod_id derived from mod_path)"""
async def unload_mod(self, mod_path: str):
"""Dynamically unload a mod (mod_id derived from mod_path)"""
def get_loaded_mods(self) -> List[str]:
"""Get list of currently loaded mods"""
We will also enhance the Health API to include information about loaded mods. The /api/health endpoint will return a response that includes a list of loaded mods, their count, and detailed information about each mod, such as its ID, path, and load timestamp.
# GET /api/health response includes loaded mods
{
"status": "healthy",
"network_id": "my_network",
"mods": {
"loaded": ["shared_cache", "shared_artifact", "wiki"],
"count": 3,
"details": {
"shared_cache": {
"mod_id": "shared_cache",
"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_cache",
"loaded_at": 1699564800
},
"shared_artifact": {
"mod_id": "shared_artifact",
"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact",
"loaded_at": 1699564850
},
"wiki": {
"mod_id": "wiki",
"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.wiki",
"loaded_at": 1699564900
}
}
},
"uptime": 3600
}
Tests
Comprehensive testing is essential to ensure the reliability and stability of the dynamic mod management system. We will develop a suite of tests to cover various scenarios. These tests will verify that mods can be loaded and unloaded at runtime using their mod path. We will also test multiple load/unload cycles to ensure that the system can handle repeated mod changes. Error handling will be tested to ensure that the system gracefully handles invalid mod paths or attempts to load already loaded mods. We will also verify that the mod ID is correctly derived from the mod path. Finally, we will ensure that the Health API accurately reflects loaded mods in real-time.
Implementation Steps
To effectively implement the dynamic mod management system, we will follow a structured approach. This approach involves breaking down the project into smaller, manageable steps, each with specific goals and deliverables. We will start with the mod registry, then move on to the dynamic mod loader, system event handlers, and finally, health API integration. This phased approach allows us to build the system incrementally, testing each component along the way.
Step 1: Mod Registry (0.2 PD)
The first step is to implement the mod registry. The mod registry is a central component that keeps track of loaded mods. It provides methods to register, unregister, and query mods. The registry will be implemented as a class, ModRegistry, with the following methods:
__init__: Initializes the registry.register: Registers a mod.unregister: Unregisters a mod.get: Gets a mod by ID.list_loaded: Lists all loaded mod IDs.
# src/openagents/core/mod_registry.py
class ModRegistry:
def __init__(self):
self.loaded_mods: Dict[str, BaseMod] = {}
def register(self, mod_id: str, mod: BaseMod):
"""Register a loaded mod"""
if mod_id in self.loaded_mods:
raise ValueError(f"Mod {mod_id} already loaded")
self.loaded_mods[mod_id] = mod
def unregister(self, mod_id: str) -> BaseMod:
"""Unregister a mod"""
if mod_id not in self.loaded_mods:
raise ValueError(f"Mod {mod_id} not found")
return self.loaded_mods.pop(mod_id)
def get(self, mod_id: str) -> Optional[BaseMod]:
"""Get loaded mod by ID"""
return self.loaded_mods.get(mod_id)
def list_loaded(self) -> List[str]:
"""List all loaded mod IDs"""
return list(self.loaded_mods.keys())
Step 2: Dynamic Mod Loader (0.3 PD)
The next step is to implement the dynamic mod loader. The mod loader is responsible for loading and unloading mods at runtime. It will use the mod registry to keep track of loaded mods. The mod loader will be integrated into the Network class, with the following methods:
load_mod: Dynamically loads a mod.unload_mod: Dynamically unloads a mod.
The load_mod method will derive the mod ID from the mod path, import the mod class, instantiate the mod, bind it to the network, initialize it, and register it with the mod registry. The unload_mod method will get the mod from the registry, shutdown the mod, and unregister it from the registry.
# src/openagents/core/network.py additions
class Network:
def __init__(self, ...):
self.mod_registry = ModRegistry()
async def load_mod(self, mod_path: str, config: dict = None):
"""Dynamically load a mod"""
# 1. Derive mod_id from mod_path
# e.g., "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact" -> "shared_artifact"
mod_id = mod_path.split(".")[-1]
# 2. Import mod class
mod_module = importlib.import_module(mod_path)
mod_class = getattr(mod_module, f"{to_pascal_case(mod_id)}Mod")
# 3. Instantiate mod
mod = mod_class(mod_name=mod_id)
# 4. Bind to network
mod.bind_network(self)
# 5. Initialize
if not mod.initialize():
raise RuntimeError(f"Failed to initialize mod {mod_id}")
# 6. Register
self.mod_registry.register(mod_id, mod)
logger.info(f"Dynamically loaded mod: {mod_id}")
return mod
async def unload_mod(self, mod_path: str):
"""Dynamically unload a mod"""
# 1. Derive mod_id from mod_path
mod_id = mod_path.split(".")[-1]
# 2. Get mod from registry
mod = self.mod_registry.get(mod_id)
if not mod:
raise ValueError(f"Mod {mod_id} not loaded")
# 3. Shutdown mod
mod.shutdown()
# 4. Unregister
self.mod_registry.unregister(mod_id)
logger.info(f"Dynamically unloaded mod: {mod_id}")
Step 3: System Event Handlers (0.3 PD)
Next, we will implement the system event handlers for system.mod.load and system.mod.unload events. These handlers will be responsible for processing the events and calling the appropriate methods to load or unload mods. The handlers will be implemented as methods in the Network class:
_handle_system_mod_load: Handles thesystem.mod.loadevent._handle_system_mod_unload: Handles thesystem.mod.unloadevent.
# src/openagents/core/network.py event handlers
class Network:
async def _handle_system_mod_load(self, event: Event) -> EventResponse:
"""Handle system.mod.load event"""
try:
mod_path = event.payload.get("mod_path")
config = event.payload.get("config", {})
if not mod_path:
return EventResponse(
success=False,
message="mod_path is required"
)
# Load mod (mod_id will be derived from mod_path)
mod = await self.load_mod(mod_path, config)
mod_id = mod_path.split(".")[-1]
return EventResponse(
success=True,
message=f"Mod {mod_id} loaded successfully",
data={"mod_id": mod_id}
)
except Exception as e:
return EventResponse(
success=False,
message=f"Failed to load mod: {str(e)}",
data={"error": str(e)}
)
async def _handle_system_mod_unload(self, event: Event) -> EventResponse:
"""Handle system.mod.unload event"""
try:
mod_path = event.payload.get("mod_path")
if not mod_path:
return EventResponse(
success=False,
message="mod_path is required"
)
# Unload mod (mod_id will be derived from mod_path)
await self.unload_mod(mod_path)
mod_id = mod_path.split(".")[-1]
return EventResponse(
success=True,
message=f"Mod {mod_id} unloaded successfully",
data={"mod_id": mod_id}
)
except Exception as e:
return EventResponse(
success=False,
message=f"Failed to unload mod: {str(e)}",
data={"error": str(e)}
)
Step 4: Register System Handlers (0.1 PD)
After implementing the event handlers, we need to register them with the network. This will ensure that the handlers are called when the corresponding events are received. The handlers will be registered in the Network.__init__ or setup method.
# In Network.__init__ or setup
self.register_system_event_handler("system.mod.load", self._handle_system_mod_load)
self.register_system_event_handler("system.mod.unload", self._handle_system_mod_unload)
Step 5: Health API Integration (0.1 PD)
The final step is to integrate the mod management system with the health API. This will allow us to monitor the status of loaded mods through the health API endpoint. We will modify the /api/health endpoint to include information about loaded mods, such as their IDs, paths, and load timestamps.
# src/openagents/api/routes.py or similar
@app.get("/api/health")
async def get_health():
"""Health endpoint with loaded mods info"""
network = get_network() # Get network instance
# Get loaded mods from registry
loaded_mod_ids = network.mod_registry.list_loaded()
# Build detailed mod information
mod_details = {}
for mod_id in loaded_mod_ids:
mod = network.mod_registry.get(mod_id)
mod_details[mod_id] = {
"mod_id": mod_id,
"mod_path": mod.__module__,
"loaded_at": getattr(mod, "loaded_at", None)
}
return {
"status": "healthy",
"network_id": network.network_id,
"mods": {
"loaded": loaded_mod_ids,
"count": len(loaded_mod_ids),
"details": mod_details
},
"uptime": network.get_uptime()
}
Usage Examples
To illustrate how the dynamic mod management system can be used, let's look at some usage examples. These examples cover CLI usage, programmatic usage, and agent usage.
CLI Usage
The system can be used from the command line using the openagents CLI. The following commands demonstrate how to load and unload mods, as well as list loaded mods.
# Load mod at runtime
openagents network send-event \
--event-name system.mod.load \
--payload '{"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact"}'
# Unload mod
openagents network send-event \
--event-name system.mod.unload \
--payload '{"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact"}'
# List loaded mods
openagents network list-mods
Programmatic Usage
The system can also be used programmatically through the Network API. The following code snippet shows how to load and unload a mod using the Network class.
from openagents.core.network import Network
network = Network(network_id="my_network")
# Start network with base mods
await network.start()
# Dynamically load artifact mod
await network.load_mod("openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact")
# Use the mod...
# Unload when done
await network.unload_mod("openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact")
Agent Usage
Agents within the system can also use the dynamic mod management system. The following code shows how an agent can send system events to load and unload mods.
# Agent sends system event to load mod
load_event = Event(
event_name="system.mod.load",
destination_id="system:system",
source_id="agent_alice",
payload={"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact"}
)
response = await agent.send_event(load_event)
# Now agent can use the newly loaded mod
# Unload mod
unload_event = Event(
event_name="system.mod.unload",
destination_id="system:system",
source_id="agent_alice",
payload={"mod_path": "openagents.mods.core.shared_artifact"}
)
response = await agent.send_event(unload_event)
Success Criteria
To ensure the success of the dynamic mod management implementation, we have defined specific success criteria. These criteria cover various aspects of the system, including functionality, stability, and error handling.
The system will be considered successful if it meets the following criteria:
- ✅ Load mod at runtime without network restart
- ✅ Unload mod at runtime without network restart
- ✅ Multiple load/unload cycles work correctly
- ✅ Mod state properly cleaned up on unload
- ✅ Error handling for invalid mod paths
- ✅ No memory leaks from repeated load/unload
- ✅ Network remains stable during mod changes
- ✅ CLI commands work for mod management
- ✅ Mod ID correctly derived from mod path
- ✅ Health API reflects loaded mods in real-time
By meeting these criteria, we can ensure that the dynamic mod management system is robust, reliable, and easy to use.
Conclusion
In conclusion, implementing dynamic mod management is crucial for modern backend systems that require flexibility and continuous operation. By allowing mods to be loaded and unloaded at runtime, we eliminate the need for network restarts, minimizing disruption and maximizing uptime. This guide has outlined the functional requirements, expected deliverables, and implementation steps necessary to achieve this goal. By following these guidelines, you can build a robust and adaptable mod management system that meets the needs of your organization.
For further reading on dynamic systems and plugin architectures, consider exploring resources on dynamic software updating. This will provide a broader understanding of the concepts and techniques involved in building adaptable systems.
