hashicorp · fairclothjm · Mar 22, 2022 · Mar 15, 2022 · Mar 15, 2022 · Mar 15, 2022
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ method as an external plugin. The azure plugin method is integrated into Vault a
 a builtin method by default.
 
 Assuming you have saved the binary `vault-plugin-auth-azure` to some folder and
-configured the [plugin directory](/docs/internals/plugins#plugin-directory)
+configured the [plugin directory](/docs/plugins/plugin-architecture#plugin-directory)
 for your server at `path/to/plugins`:
 
 1. Enable the plugin in the catalog:

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ to specify where the configuration is.
 
   ~> Note: Since each plugin runs as a separate process, you need to do the same
   for each plugin in your [plugins
-  directory](/docs/internals/plugins#plugin-directory).
+  directory](/docs/plugins/plugin-architecture#plugin-directory).
 
   If you use a Linux distribution with a modern version of systemd, you can add
   the following directive to the "[Service]" configuration section:

@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ are a function of the alphabet size.
 
 ### External plugin limits
 
-The [plugin system](/docs/internals/plugins) launches a separate process
+The [plugin system](/docs/plugins) launches a separate process
 initiated by Vault that communicates over RPC. For each secret engine and auth
 method that's enabled as an external plugin, Vault will spawn a process on the
 host system. For the Database Secrets Engines, external database plugins will

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ This program is intended to be largely a self-service process with links and gui
 
 Vault is an Identity-based security solution that leverages trusted sources of identity to keep secrets and application data secured with one centralized, audited workflow for tightly controlling access to secrets across applications, systems, and infrastructure while encrypting data both in flight and at rest. For a full description of the current features please refer to the Vault [website](/). 
 
-Vault has a secure [plugin](/docs/internals/plugins) architecture. Vault’s plugins are completely separate, standalone applications that Vault executes and communicates with over RPC. This means the plugin process does not share the same memory space as Vault and therefore can only access the interfaces and arguments given to it.
+Vault has a secure [plugin](/docs/plugins) architecture. Vault’s plugins are completely separate, standalone applications that Vault executes and communicates with over RPC. This means the plugin process does not share the same memory space as Vault and therefore can only access the interfaces and arguments given to it.
 
 Vault plugins can be built-in and bundled with the Vault binary, or be external that has to be manually mounted. Built-in plugins are developed by HashiCorp, while external plugins can be developed by HashiCorp, technology partners, or the community. There is a curated collection of all plugins, both built-in and external, located on the [Plugin Portal](/docs/plugin-portal).
 

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+layout: docs
+page_title: Plugin System
+description: Learn about Vault's plugin system.
+---
+
+
+# Plugin System
+
+All Vault auth methods and secrets engines are considered plugins. This simple concept
+allows both built-in and external plugins to be treated like Legos. Any plugin
+can exist at multiple different locations. Different versions of a plugin may
+be at each location, with each version differing from Vault's version.
+
+## Built-In Plugins
+
+Built-in plugins are shipped with Vault, often for commonly used implementations,
+and require no additional operator intervention to run. Built-in plugins are
+just like any other backend code inside Vault.
+
+To use a different or edited version of a built-in plugin, the plugin must be
+run as an external plugin. See [Overriding Built-in Plugins](/docs/upgrading/plugins#overriding-built-in-plugins)
+for details on how to override a built-in plugin in-place.
+
+## External Plugins
+
+External plugins are not shipped with Vault and require additional operator
+intervention to run.
+
+To run an external plugin, a binary of the plugin is required. Plugin
+binaries can be obtained from [releases.hashicorp.com](https://releases.hashicorp.com/)
+or they can be [built from source](/docs/plugins/plugin-development#building-a-plugin-from-source).
+
+Vault's external plugins are completely separate, standalone applications that
+Vault executes and communicates with over RPC. Each time a Vault secret engine
+or auth method is mounted, a new process is spawned. However, database plugins
+can be made to implement [plugin multiplexing](/docs/plugins/plugin-architecture#plugin-multiplexing)
+which allows a single plugin process to be used for multiple database
+connections.