Plugins

Forge uses an Nx plugin architecture to provide language and tooling support. Plugins automatically detect project files, infer build targets, and configure tasks — so you don't have to.

How Plugins Work

When you register a plugin in nx.json, it scans your workspace for specific files (e.g. package.json, pom.xml, Dockerfile) and automatically configures the appropriate build, test, and release targets for each project.

{
  "plugins": [
    {
      "plugin": "@bjb-forge/nx-js-project/nx-plugin"
    },
    {
      "plugin": "@bjb-forge/nx-docker-project/nx-plugin"
    }
  ]
}

Plugins can be scoped to specific projects using include:

{
  "plugin": "@bjb-forge/nx-js-project/nx-plugin",
  "include": ["jbar-app/frontend/*"]
}

And configured with options:

{
  "plugin": "@bjb-forge/nx-devcloud-legacy-project/nx-plugin",
  "options": {
    "devcloudProgramName": "sda"
  }
}

Available Plugins

Language & Framework

Plugin	Detects	Description
`nx-js-project`	`package.json`	JavaScript and TypeScript projects
`nx-java-project`	`pom.xml`	Java projects
`nx-spring-boot-project`	`pom.xml`	Spring Boot services
`nx-react-project`	`package.json`	React applications
`nx-openapi-project`	`openapi.yaml`	OpenAPI specifications

Build & Deploy

Plugin	Detects	Description
`nx-docker-project`	`Dockerfile`	Docker container builds
`nx-jib-project`	`jib.yaml`	Java container builds with Jib
`nx-helm-project`	`Chart.yaml`	Helm chart packaging and publishing
`nx-maven-devkit`	`pom.xml`	Maven build utilities
`nx-vite-devkit`	`vite.config.*`	Vite bundler support

CI/CD & Quality

Plugin	Description
`nx-gitlab-project`	GitLab CI/CD integration and coverage reporting
`nx-conformance-project`	Workspace conformance rules
`nx-playwright-project`	End-to-end testing with Playwright
`nx-devcloud-legacy-project`	DevCloud platform integration

Devkit vs Project

Forge plugins follow a two-package pattern:

Devkit (nx-*-devkit) — reusable utility functions and file detection logic. Can be imported by other plugins or custom code.
Project (nx-*-project) — the full Nx plugin that registers in nx.json. Uses the devkit under the hood to provide generators, executors, and automatic project configuration.

nx-docker-devkit       →  utilities (createDockerNodes, Dockerfile parsing)
nx-docker-project      →  Nx plugin (generators, executors, nx.json registration)

Building Custom Plugins

Forge provides nx-plugin-devkit as the foundation for building your own plugins. It offers:

buildNxPlugin() — creates an Nx plugin with file discovery, caching, and option normalization
buildInitGeneratorFn() — scaffolds init generators that register your plugin
SubCreateNodes — composable pattern for detecting files and creating build targets

See the CLI Reference for generator commands to scaffold new plugins.

Plugins

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