Plugin Structure

Each plugin in BDSC lives in its own directory under /plugins. There are no strict requirements on what folders a plugin must have. However, player extensions must follow a specific structure.

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Folder Layout

plugins/
└── my_plugin/
    ├── player/ # Optional – required only if extending the player object
    │   ├── factory.lua # Required if extending
    │   └── class.lua # Required if extending
    ├── client/ # Optional – client-side logic
    ├── shared/ # Optional – shared constants or data
    ├── server/ # Optional – server-side logic
    ├── ui/ # Optional – required only if plugin uses UI
    └── init.lua # Required – shared plugin entry point (server/client logic)

All folders are technically optional depending on what your plugin does. Only the player/ folder, if present, must include both factory.lua and class.lua exactly.

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Loading Behaviour

server/, client/, and shared/ scripts are loaded automatically using:

-- Server Scripts
server_scripts {
    -- Plugin Logic
    "plugins/**/player/class.lua",
    "plugins/**/player/factory.lua",
    "plugins/**/server/*.lua",
    "plugins/**/init.lua",
}

-- Client Scripts
client_scripts {
    "plugins/**/client/*.lua"
}

-- Shared Scripts
shared_scripts {
    "plugins/**/shared/*.lua"
}

Load order is not enforced for context specific folders — use bdsc.get() to load specific modules or enforce dependencies cleanly.

init.lua is treated as a shared plugin entry point and is always loaded. Use it to register hooks, handle setup logic, and separate behaviour with bdsc.is_server. This will become a mandatory entry point for plugin registration as the system evolves.

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UI Handling

If your plugin uses a UI:

• Place UI assets in the /ui folder inside your plugin

• Do not include your own index.html

• BDSC uses a shared root index.html to support FiveM’s single-page UI limitation

You must declare your UI files in the plugin’s manifest.json. These are dynamically injected into the main UI shell.

See: Plugin UI

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Player Extensions

When extending the player object:

• You must create a player/ folder

• You must include:

  • factory.lua: Returns the constructor logic for the extension

  • class.lua: Defines methods that attach to the player instance

This enforced structure allows the core to automatically load and bind player extensions during creation.

See: Extending the Player Object