diff --git a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/__init__.py b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef03aa234
--- /dev/null
+++ b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Copyright (c) conda-store development team. All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+BUILTIN_PLUGINS = []
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/hookspec.py b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/hookspec.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..082458809
--- /dev/null
+++ b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/hookspec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Copyright (c) conda-store development team. All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+import pluggy
+import typing
+
+from conda_store_server._internal import conda_utils, schema
+from conda_store_server.plugins import plugin_context
+
+
+spec_name = "conda-store-server"
+
+hookspec = pluggy.HookspecMarker(spec_name)
+
+hookimpl = pluggy.HookimplMarker(spec_name)
+
+
+class CondaStoreSpecs:
+    """Conda Store hookspecs"""
+
+    @hookspec(firstresult=True)
+    def lock_environment(
+        self,
+        context: plugin_context.PluginContext,
+        spec: schema.CondaSpecification, 
+        platforms: typing.List[str] = [conda_utils.conda_platform()],
+    ) -> str:
+        """Lock spec"""
diff --git a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/plugin_context.py b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/plugin_context.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cb2009b62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/plugins/plugin_context.py
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Copyright (c) conda-store development team. All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+import io
+import logging
+import subprocess
+import uuid
+
+
+class PluginContext:
+    """The plugin context provides some useful attributes to a hook.
+
+    This includes
+        * the variables: conda_store, log, stdout, stderr
+        * the functions: run_command, run
+    """
+    def __init__(self, conda_store=None, stdout=None, stderr=None):
+        if stdout is not None and stderr is None:
+            stderr = stdout
+
+        self.id = str(uuid.uuid4())
+        self.stdout = stdout if stdout is not None else io.StringIO()
+        self.stderr = stderr if stderr is not None else io.StringIO()
+        self.log = logging.getLogger(f"conda_store_server.plugins.plugin_context.{self.id}")
+        self.log.propagate = False
+        self.log.addHandler(logging.StreamHandler(stream=self.stdout))
+        # TODO: get log level from config
+        self.log.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+        self.conda_store = conda_store
+
+    def run_command(self, command, redirect_stderr=True, **kwargs):
+        """Runs command and immediately writes to logs"""
+        self.log.info(f"Running command: {' '.join(command)}")
+
+        # Unlike subprocess.run, Popen doesn't support the check argument, so
+        # ignore it. The code below always checks the return code
+        kwargs.pop("check", None)
+
+        # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4417546/constantly-print-subprocess-output-while-process-is-running
+        with subprocess.Popen(
+            command,
+            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+            stderr=subprocess.STDOUT if redirect_stderr else subprocess.PIPE,
+            bufsize=1,
+            universal_newlines=True,
+            **kwargs,
+        ) as p:
+            for line in p.stdout:
+                self.stdout.write(line)
+            if not redirect_stderr:
+                for line in p.stderr:
+                    self.stderr.write(line)
+
+        if p.returncode != 0:
+            raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(p.returncode, p.args)
+
+    def run(self, *args, redirect_stderr=True, **kwargs):
+        """Runs command waiting for it to succeed before writing to logs"""
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            *args,
+            **kwargs,
+            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+            stderr=subprocess.STDOUT if redirect_stderr else subprocess.PIPE,
+            encoding="utf-8",
+        )
+        self.stdout.write(result.stdout)
+        if not redirect_stderr:
+            self.stderr.write(result.stderr)
+        return result