Architecture
Cotonti can be easily extended by several kinds of add-ons supported by the system. Some of them are provided in the default package, the rest can be obtained from third-party sources, including both non-commercial and commercial work.
You can imagine a building to understand the Cotonti architecture. The entire building stands on a basement which is known as Core Libraries or APIs. The basement also provides an infrastructure that can be utilized by the rest of the building. Then there are blocks standing on the basement and containing actual rooms - these are called Modules. Each module represent a special kind of space (e.g. a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom) which can be inhabited by site users. These rooms may be extended by many kinds of facilities, including furniture, domestic appliances, electronic systems - these are Plugins. And finally, you can paint the exterior, choose decorations and customize any detail in the appearance of your house - these are Themes.
Modules and Plugins are very similar technically, so they are often called together Extensions.
Standard behavior of Cotonti's building blocks can be modified in many of specific entry points called Hooks. Plugins may have specific parts which "hook" into those entry points to modify the control flow or provide more output variables and output sections.
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