Amplication provides Dev Versions to streamline your testing process, allowing you to rapidly iterate and validate your plugin changes directly within your development environment before publishing.

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Why Use Dev Versions for Plugin Testing?

Dev Versions are designed to minimize friction and accelerate your plugin development workflow by:

Eliminate Publish Cycles

Instead of needing to publish a new plugin version every time you make a code change, Dev Versions automatically use the latest code directly from your plugin’s Git repository.

Seamless Integration

Dev Versions integrate directly with your existing Git-based development workflow, making testing a natural part of your plugin creation process.
Want to learn more about publishing your plugin? Check out our plugin publishing guide.

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Step 1: Enable Dev Versions for Your Plugin

Before you can start testing with Dev Versions, you need to enable them for your private plugin in the Amplication Platform Console.
1

Navigate to Private Plugins

Go to your project’s Platform Console from the top header and click on the Private Plugins tab.
2

Select Your Plugin

Choose the private plugin you want to test from the list.
3

Enable Dev Version Toggle

In your plugin’s settings, locate the Enable Dev Version toggle and switch it to the on state.

Enable Dev Versions Toggle

When Dev Versions are enabled, Amplication will automatically pull the latest plugin code from the base branch specified in your Git Settings whenever you use this plugin in a service or template.

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Step 2: Install Your Plugin with the Dev Version

To actually use the dev version for testing, you must specifically select it when installing the plugin in a resource.
1

Navigate to Services or Templates

Go to the Service Catalog and select a resource. Usually, this will be a test resource that is not used in production for testing purposes.
2

Go to the Plugins Tab

In your resource, click on the Plugins tab.
3

Install Your Private Plugin

Find your private plugin in the Private Plugins section and click Install.
4

Select the 'Dev Version' in Plugin Settings

After clicking “Install”, or in case the plugin is already installed, click on the settings button to view the plugin settings page and crucially ensure that the version dropdown is set to “@dev”.
Select Dev Version when installing plugin

Select @dev when installing your plugin to use the latest code

For Dev Versions to be active, you must both enable the “Dev Version” toggle in the plugin settings and select @dev during plugin installation in your resource. If you skip the version selection during install, you will be using a published version instead of your latest development code.

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Next Steps

Once you are satisfied with your testing and ready to share your plugin more broadly, you can proceed to the publish your plugin guide.

Publish Your Plugin

Learn how to publish your plugin and make it available to your organization or the wider Amplication community.