Communication Protocol Plugins

UTCP v1.0 features a modular, plugin-based architecture where different communication protocols are implemented as separate plugins. Each protocol plugin provides call templates and communication handlers for specific transport methods.

Available Protocol Plugins

Protocol	Plugin Package	Call Template	Use Cases
HTTP	utcp-http	HttpCallTemplate	REST APIs, webhooks, web services
CLI	utcp-cli	CliCallTemplate	Command-line tools, scripts
Server-Sent Events	utcp-http	SseCallTemplate	Event streaming, live updates
Text Files	utcp-text	TextCallTemplate	File reading, static content
MCP	utcp-mcp	McpCallTemplate	Model Context Protocol interop

Plugin Architecture

Each protocol plugin consists of:

Call Templates

Define how to structure calls for the specific protocol:

{
  "call_template_type": "http",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/endpoint",
  "http_method": "POST",
  "headers": {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
}

Communication Protocols

Handle the actual communication logic for each protocol type. The implementation varies by programming language.

Installing Protocol Plugins

Protocol plugins are available for different programming languages:

# Example installation (Python)
pip install utcp-http utcp-cli utcp-text utcp-mcp

# Example installation (Node.js)
npm install @utcp/http @utcp/cli @utcp/text @utcp/mcp

For other languages, check the UTCP GitHub organization

Creating Custom Protocol Plugins

You can extend UTCP with custom communication protocols by implementing the protocol interface in your chosen language. Each implementation must:

1. Define Call Templates: Specify the structure for protocol-specific calls
2. Implement Communication Handler: Handle the actual protocol communication
3. Register the Protocol: Make it available to the UTCP client

Example call template structure:

{
  "call_template_type": "custom",
  "custom_field": "value",
  "auth": {
    "auth_type": "api_key",
    "api_key": "${API_KEY}"
  }
}

Protocol Selection Guide

Choose the right protocol plugin based on your needs:

• HTTP: Most common for REST APIs and web services
• CLI: Wrapping existing command-line tools
• SSE: Server-sent events for streaming data
• Text: Reading configuration files or static content
• MCP: Interoperability with Model Context Protocol tools

Language-Specific Documentation

For implementation details and examples in your programming language:

• Multi-language: UTCP Implementation Examples - Examples across Python, TypeScript, Go, and other languages
• TypeScript: TypeScript UTCP Documentation
• Other languages: Check respective repositories in the UTCP GitHub organization

For detailed information about each protocol plugin, see the individual protocol documentation pages.