This document provides context and guidelines for AI coding assistants working on this codebase.
This is a template repository for creating OpenShift Console dynamic plugins. It's meant to be used via GitHub's "Use this template" feature, NOT forked. The template provides a minimal starting point for extending the OpenShift Console UI with custom pages and functionality.
⚠️ WARNING: This repository is used by multiple large-scale enterprise web applications. Please proceed with caution when making any changes to this codebase. Changes here can affect downstream projects that depend on this template.Only make changes that should be standard practice for ALL plugins created from this template. If a change is specific to one plugin use case, it belongs in the instantiated plugin repository, not in this template.
Key Technologies:
- TypeScript + React 17
- PatternFly 6 (UI component library)
- Webpack 5 with Module Federation
- react-i18next for internationalization
- Cypress for e2e testing
- Helm for deployment
Compatibility: Requires OpenShift 4.12+ (uses ConsolePlugin CRD v1 API)
This plugin uses webpack module federation to load at runtime into the OpenShift Console. Key files:
console-extensions.json: Declares what the plugin adds to console (routes, nav items, etc.)package.jsonconsolePluginsection: Plugin metadata and exposed modules mappingwebpack.config.ts: Configures module federation and build
Critical: Any component referenced in console-extensions.json must have a corresponding entry in package.json under consolePlugin.exposedModules.
- Use functional components with hooks (NO class components)
- All components should be TypeScript (
.tsx) - Follow PatternFly component patterns
- Use PatternFly CSS variables instead of hex colors (dark mode compatibility)
IMPORTANT: The .stylelintrc.yaml enforces strict rules to prevent breaking console:
- NO hex colors - use PatternFly CSS variables (e.g.,
var(--pf-v6-global-palette--blue-500)) - NO naked element selectors (like
table,div) - prevents overwriting console styles - NO
.pf-or.co-prefixed classes - these are reserved for PatternFly and console - Prefix all custom classes with plugin name (e.g.,
console-plugin-template__nice)
Don't disable these rules without understanding they protect against layout breakage!
Namespace Convention: plugin__<plugin-name> (e.g., plugin__console-plugin-template)
const { t } = useTranslation('plugin__console-plugin-template');
return <h1>{t('Hello, World!')}</h1>;"name": "%plugin__console-plugin-template~My Label%"After adding/changing messages: Run yarn i18n to update locale files in /locales
src/
components/ # React components
ExamplePage.tsx # Example page component
*.css # Component styles (scoped with plugin prefix)
console-extensions.json # Plugin extension declarations
package.json # Plugin metadata in consolePlugin section
tsconfig.json # TypeScript config (strict: false currently)
webpack.config.ts # Module federation + build config
locales/ # i18n translation files
charts/ # Helm chart for deployment
integration-tests/ # Cypress e2e tests
yarn install- install dependenciesyarn start- starts webpack dev server on port 9001 with CORSyarn start-console- runs OpenShift console in container (requires cluster login)- Navigate to http://localhost:9000/example
yarn lint- runs eslint, prettier, and stylelint (with --fix)- Linting is mandatory before commits
- Follow existing code patterns in the repo
yarn test-cypress- opens Cypress UIyarn test-cypress-headless- runs Cypress in CI mode- Add e2e tests for new pages/features
Current config has strict: false but enforces:
noUnusedLocals: true- All files should use
.tsxextension - Target: ES2020
Modernization opportunity: When touching files, consider enabling stricter TypeScript checks.
- Create component in
src/components/MyPage.tsx - Add to
package.jsonexposedModules:"MyPage": "./components/MyPage" - Add route in
console-extensions.json:{ "type": "console.page/route", "properties": { "path": "/my-page", "component": { "$codeRef": "MyPage" } } } - Optional: Add nav item in
console-extensions.json - Run
yarn i18nif you added translatable strings
{
"type": "console.navigation/href",
"properties": {
"id": "my-nav-item",
"name": "%plugin__console-plugin-template~My Page%",
"href": "/my-page",
"perspective": "admin",
"section": "home"
}
}When instantiating from template, update:
package.json-nameandconsolePlugin.namepackage.json-consolePlugin.displayNameanddescription- All i18n namespace references (
plugin__<name>) - CSS class prefixes
- Helm chart values
docker build -t quay.io/my-repository/my-plugin:latest .
# For Apple Silicon: add --platform=linux/amd64helm upgrade -i my-plugin charts/openshift-console-plugin \
-n my-namespace \
--create-namespace \
--set plugin.image=my-plugin-image-locationNote: OpenShift 4.10 requires --set plugin.securityContext.enabled=false
- Template, not fork: Users should use "Use this template", not fork
- i18n namespace must match ConsolePlugin resource name with
plugin__prefix - CSS class prefixes prevent style conflicts - always prefix with plugin name
- Module federation requires exact module mapping -
exposedModulesmust match$codeRefvalues - PatternFly CSS variables only - hex colors break dark mode
- No webpack HMR for extensions - changes to
console-extensions.jsonrequire restart - TypeScript not in strict mode - legacy choice, can be modernized
- React 17, not 18 - matches console's React version
See Console Plugin SDK README for available extension types:
console.page/route- add new pagesconsole.navigation/href- add nav itemsconsole.navigation/section- add nav sectionsconsole.tab- add tabs to resource pagesconsole.action/provider- add actions to resourcesconsole.flag- feature flags- Many more...
- Functional components with hooks (NO classes)
- TypeScript for all new files
- Use PatternFly components whenever possible
- Keep components focused and composable
- Prefer named exports for components
- Use
React.FCor explicit return types - CSS-in-files (not CSS-in-JS)
- E2E tests (Cypress): For user flows and page rendering
- Component tests: Add when components have complex logic
- Test data attributes: Use
data-testattributes for selectors - Run tests locally before opening PRs
When should I...
- Use this template? When creating a NEW OpenShift Console plugin from scratch
- Add a page? Update console-extensions.json + exposedModules + create component
- Style something? Use PatternFly components and CSS variables, prefix custom classes
- Add translations? Use
t()function, runyarn i18nafter - Test changes? Run locally with
yarn start+yarn start-console, add Cypress tests - Deploy? Build image, push to registry, install via Helm chart