Swappable

Swappable is an adjective describing a component or item that can be exchanged for another of the same kind without significant modification to the surrounding system. The term is often qualified by hot-swappable to indicate that the swap can occur while the system is powered, or cold-swappable when the device must be powered down.

In hardware, common examples include hot-swappable disk drives in servers and storage arrays, power supplies in redundant PSUs, and battery packs in portable devices and electric tools. Swappable modules enable maintenance, upgrades, or repairs with minimal downtime. To ensure compatibility, manufacturers publish form factors, connectors, and firmware requirements.

In consumer devices, swappable design is less common today for devices like smartphones, where non-removable batteries have become standard, though modular designs and replaceable panels exist in some products.

In software, swappability refers to the ability to replace components such as plugins, libraries, or modules without rebuilding the entire system. Plugin architectures and service-oriented designs support swappable components, often with defined interfaces and versioning to prevent incompatibilities.

Benefits of swappable design include easier maintenance, upgrades, and customization, while drawbacks can include potential safety risks during hot swaps, the requirement for standardization, and added hardware complexity and cost.

See also: hot swap, interchangeable parts, modular design, plugin architecture, maintenance.