modularigon

Modularigon is an open-source modular platform designed to enable the construction of complex software systems through composable, language-agnostic modules. It provides a runtime environment where modules declare interfaces and dependencies, allowing dynamic assembly and reconfiguration of applications without recompilation.

Its core consists of a module runtime, a dependency graph, a service registry, and an event-driven messaging bus. Modules are published with metadata that describes their capabilities, version, and required interfaces. The runtime enforces isolation, provides a lifecycle model, and supports dynamic loading, unloading, and hot-swapping of components.

Modules communicate via defined service interfaces and events. A decoupled design enables modules written in different languages or running in separate processes or machines to interoperate through adapters. The platform emphasizes explicit contracts, versioned interfaces, and predictable startup order to aid testing and maintainability.

Originating as a research concept in the early 2010s, Modularigon matured into a community-driven project with reference implementations and documentation in the mid- to late 2010s. It has since evolved through active collaboration, with a focus on portability, extensibility, and interoperability across environments.

Usage examples include modular robotics control stacks, configurable simulation environments, and enterprise-style software stacks that require runtime reconfiguration. In practice, developers manage module lifecycles, dependency graphs, and adapters to integrate legacy systems or external services.

Reception in the user community highlights flexibility and testability, though concerns have been raised about runtime overhead, tooling complexity, and the challenge of maintaining backward-compatible interfaces at scale.

See also: modular architecture, plugin architecture, component-based software engineering, service-oriented architecture, microservices.