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Managing Plugins

How to install, enable, update, and remove plugins from the admin panel.

Plugins extend what Contensio can do — from newsletter subscriptions and star ratings to booking systems and paywalled content. All plugin management happens from Settings → Plugins in the admin panel. No command line needed.

Installing a plugin

  1. Go to Settings → Plugins.
  2. Click Install Plugin (top right).
  3. Drag and drop a .zip file into the upload area, or click to browse.
  4. Click Install. The plugin appears in the list as disabled.

The ZIP must contain a valid plugin.json at its root. If the file is missing or malformed, the install is rejected with an explanation.

Enabling and disabling

  • Enable — activates the plugin and runs any database migrations it ships. The plugin's service provider is registered on the next page load.
  • Disable — deactivates the plugin. Its data (settings, database tables, stored content) is left intact so you can re-enable it later without losing anything.

A green Enabled badge and border appear on active plugin cards.

Configuring a plugin

When a plugin declares settings, a Settings button appears on its card (only visible while enabled). Click it to open the plugin's configuration page.

Updating a plugin

Contensio checks for updates once a day in the background. When a newer version is available, the plugin card shows an amber "vX.X.X available" notice and an Update button.

One-click update

Click Update on the plugin card. Contensio will:

  1. Download the new version's ZIP automatically
  2. Replace the plugin files
  3. Run any new database migrations
  4. Refresh the plugin cache

The plugin stays enabled throughout — no manual disable/re-enable needed.

"What's new" link

If the plugin ships a changelog URL, a What's new link appears next to the update notice. Click it to see the release notes before updating.

Manual update (no update source)

If the plugin card shows no update notice, the plugin either has no configured update source or is already up to date. To update it manually:

  1. Download the new ZIP from wherever you obtained the plugin.
  2. Go to Settings → Plugins → Install Plugin.
  3. Upload the new ZIP. Contensio will overwrite the existing plugin files automatically.

Force-check from the command line

php artisan contensio:check-plugin-updates --force

This bypasses the 24-hour cache and runs an immediate check against all update sources.

Update sources

Source How it works
Official GitHub Plugin's plugin.json contains a repository field pointing to a GitHub repo. Core checks the GitHub releases API.
Custom update server Plugin's plugin.json contains an update_url. Core POSTs your current version; the server responds with the new version and a download link.
Paid / license-gated The plugin itself handles the check — it sends your license key to the developer's server and injects the result via the contensio/plugin-update-info filter.
None No repository, no update_url, no self-reported info. Update detection is skipped; the card shows no update notice. Update manually via ZIP upload.

Removing a plugin

To fully remove a plugin:

  1. Disable it first (the Remove button is only visible on disabled plugins).
  2. Click the trash icon on the plugin card.
  3. Confirm the prompt.

This deletes the plugin files from the server and removes its declared permissions and settings. Database tables created by the plugin's migrations are not dropped automatically — remove them manually via a migration if needed.

Composer-installed plugins cannot be removed from the admin. Use composer remove vendor/package instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run multiple plugins at once?
Yes. All enabled plugins are active simultaneously. There is no conflict detection — if two plugins modify the same thing, you may need to configure their priority via the Hook system.

Will disabling a plugin delete my data?
No. Disabling only deactivates the plugin's code. All stored data (settings, database rows, uploaded files) remains until you explicitly remove them.

What if an update breaks something?
Contensio does not automatically roll back an update. If you need to revert, re-install the previous ZIP version manually via the Install Plugin flow. Then investigate the new version's changelog for breaking changes.

Why is the Update button not showing for my paid plugin?
Paid plugins handle update detection themselves via a license key check. Ensure you have entered a valid license key in the plugin's settings page. The developer's update server must also be reachable from your server.