Use a plugin

Learn how to start a plugin server in the development environment and use it from Connery in Slack.

If you landed on this page, we assume you already know which plugin you want to start using.

If not, you can either create a new plugin or choose one from the list of available open-source plugins that offer the actions you need.

Then, continue with the following steps.

1. Set up development environment​

Open the plugin repository in GitHub Codespaces or clone it on your local machine.

More about GitHub Codespaces

GitHub Codespace is the fastest way to start a development environment without installing additional software on your machine.

Use the green Code button in the top right corner of your repository. Then open the Codespaces tab and click Create codespace on main. It will start the codespace creation process.

GitHub Codespaces are free of charge for 120 hours per month for personal accounts.

By default, a codespace stops running after 30 minutes of inactivity to safe resources.

2. Install dependencies​

To continue, you must install all the dependencies defined in the ./package.json file. Run the following command to install the dependencies.

npm install

3. Configure the plugin server​

Copy the .env.example file to .env and update the environment variables with your values.

cp .env.example .env

Check the plugin server configuration to learn more about the available environment variables.

4. Start the plugin server​

Run the following command to start the plugin server.

npm start

Check the plugin server documentation to learn more.

5. Expose the plugin server to the Internet​

If you are running the plugin server on GitHub Codespaces, share the port 4201 by following GitHub’s official guide on sharing ports.

If you are running the plugin server on your local machine, you can use ngrok to expose the port 4201 of the plugin server, making it accessible from the Internet. The following command will generate a public URL that you can use to access the plugin server from the Internet.

ngrok http 4201

6. Use the actions

6.1. Use the actions from the Connery app in Slack

1. Create a custom plugin on the Connery Platform;

2. Create an action in the Connery Platform based on the action from the plugin server;

3. Use the action from the Connery app in Slack.

6.2. Run actions from other apps

You can use the Plugin Server’s REST API from any other app or build your own app to take advantage of the actions.