erweiterbares

Erweiterbares is a German adjective meaning expandable or capable of being extended. It is used to describe objects, systems and concepts that can be enlarged, augmented, or extended beyond their initial state. The term is formed from the verb erweitern (to expand) and the suffix -bar. In attributive use before nouns, the form is erweiterbares when the noun does not have a definite article, for example ein erweiterbares System or eine erweiterbare API; with a definite article the form becomes erweiterbare, as in das erweiterbare System.

In addition to its adjectival use, the noun phrase Das Erweiterbare can occur in technical writing to denote a property or concept of extensibility and is capitalized when treated as a noun.

The concept is common in software, hardware, architecture, and data modeling, where extensibility supports modularity, future-proofing, and scalability. Typical usages include erweiterbares System, erweiterbare API, erweiterbares Datenmodell and erweiterbares Baukastensystem.

See also modular design, scalability, plug-in architecture.