Introduction to the Plugin Architecture
The Plugin Architecture is an optional set of files that extend the basic functionality of Cacti with the ability to call external functions and applications, also called "plugins".
Why plugins?
Plugins allow other external developers to implement open source as well as commercial features for Cacti without the need to change the core Cacti sources. Security patches for the core can also be safely applied without interfering with the functionality of the plugins.
Plugins allow end users to implement missing features or create specific enhancements needed for internal corporate usage.
Plugin features
As already mentioned, plugins can have different functionalities. The following is a list of features implemented by some of the available plugins:
User interface enhancements—such as re-branding the login screen
Accessing the Cacti database—interaction with external tools
Manipulating RRD files—removing spikes from the graphs
Implementing caching/performance enhancements...
