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[Proposal] Deprecate Python plugin framework and consolidate on Go #9092
Description
Proposal: Deprecate the Python plugin framework and consolidate on Go
Summary
Propose to deprecate the Python plugin framework (backend/python/, a.k.a. PyDevLake) and remove it from the codebase after a 3-month deprecation window. Going forward, all plugins should be written in Go. This reduces maintenance overhead, simplifies the Docker image and CI, and focuses contributor effort on a single, well-supported runtime.
Background
The Python plugin framework was introduced in Feb 2023 (#3702, #4438) to lower the barrier for writing plugins. In practice it never saw adoption:
- Only one plugin ever shipped on it:
azuredevops(Python). - The
dbtPython plugin was already removed on 2026-08-31 (Deprecate and Remove the dbt Plugin from Backend Components #8970). - A fully-featured Go implementation,
azuredevops_go, now exists and is actively developed (on-premises support landed 2026-08-16, Azure DevOps On-Premises Support #9014).
Evidence: Python plugins are not being maintained
| Plugin | Last meaningful commit | Note |
|---|---|---|
azuredevops (Python) |
2025-12-31 feat: add environment_pattern (#8671) |
No feature/fix since; only deps refresh & runtime bumps |
pydevlake framework |
2025-12-31 (same as above) | Last real fix: #8957 on 2026-07-15 (missing composite PKs) |
dbt (Python) |
removed 2026-08-31 (#8970) | Already gone |
In the last ~12 months, the only commits touching backend/python/ are dependency refreshes, Poetry/uv lock bumps, a Python 3.9→3.11 runtime bump, and a single primary-key fix. Meanwhile the Go side shipped 40+ plugins and continues to receive features weekly.
Benefits
- One runtime to maintain. Eliminate the parallel PyDevLake framework, its RPC bridge,
pydevlakepackage,uv/Poetry tooling, and Python-specific test/build scripts. - Simpler Docker build. Today
backend/Dockerfileis based onpython:3.11-slim-bookworm, installs python3-dev/pip/uv, copiespython/, and runsbuild.sh. After removal the image can be a slim Go-based image — smaller, fewer CVEs, faster builds.Dockerfile.local's "empty python plugins dir" workaround also goes away. - Simpler CI. Two workflows (
.github/workflows/test.yml,test-e2e.yml) and Make targets (python-dep,python-unit-test,build-python,build-pydevlake) can be dropped. - Clearer contributor story. New plugin authors get one path (Go) with 40+ reference implementations instead of choosing between two frameworks where one is unmaintained.
- No functional loss. The only remaining Python plugin (
azuredevops) is superseded byazuredevops_go, which already has broader feature coverage (Server/on-prem support).
Plan & Timeline
| Phase | Window | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Warning | T+0 (on issue merge) | Add deprecation notices to: backend/python/README.md, plugin README.mds, server startup log line, and config-ui plugin selection UI. Mark azuredevops (Python) as deprecated in the plugin registry; point users to azuredevops_go. |
| 2. Freeze | T+1 month | Stop accepting new features/fixes for Python plugins. Only critical security fixes land. Add a CI gate rejecting new files under backend/python/plugins/. |
| 3. Migration assist | T+1~T+3 months | Ship a migration guide + script to move any remaining azuredevops (Python) connections/scopes to azuredevops_go. Document data-layer equivalence. |
| 4. Removal | T+3 months | Delete backend/python/, PyDevLake, the Python Dockerfile stage, make python-* targets, and Python CI jobs. Remove azuredevops (Python) from the plugin registry. |
Total deprecation window: 3 months from the date this proposal is accepted.
Risks & Mitigations
- Existing users of
azuredevops(Python): Mitigated byazuredevops_goparity + migration guide in Phase 3. The Go plugin already covers cloud + on-prem. - External contributors with in-progress Python plugins: The 3-month window + the warning phase gives them time to port. No private Python plugins are known to exist in the wild.
- Reverting later: Not needed; Go covers all current and planned use cases.
What we need
- 👍 / 👎 from maintainers and community on deprecating Python.
- Owners to confirm
azuredevops_gofeature parity with the Pythonazuredevopsplugin (esp. CI/CD environment extraction). - Volunteers to write the Phase-3 migration guide.
Activity
chore(python): deprecate Python plugin framework (PyDevLake)
rabelenda commentedon Sep 2, 2026
At my company we have developed some python plugins (redmine, glpi, zephyr), have also added some additional features to the azure devops python plugin (allowing to extract issues and qa entities), and have made some minor improvements to the python plugin framework. We haven't submitted yet these changes to this repo but we were planning to. We are using these plugins internally and with some of our clients.
I really think that having python framwork lowers the barrier for implementing plugins and even though is less performant, I prefer them since in general they are easier to maintain due to the bigger python community and in general plugins take significantly less code and ceremony (I tried re implementing some in go and the resulting code is quite verbose and a little harder to read).
If we contribute these changes would you consider keeping this support?
klesh commentedon Sep 2, 2026
Thanks for the feedback! We always welcome contributions. The main challenge right now is that we don't have enough maintainers actively working on this part. We're happy to keep it around if more people step up to help maintain it over the next 3 months.
I've got some ideas to improve the architecture, but working around Python makes it pretty tough. 😂
chore(python): deprecate Python plugin framework (PyDevLake) (#9097)
chore(python): deprecate Python plugin framework (PyDevLake) (apache#…