Plugin Lifecycle Management in C#: Loading, Activation, and Unloading

A comprehensive guide to plugin lifecycle management in C# covering all four phases: discovery, loading, activation, and unloading. Includes working .NET 8/9 code for a PluginDiscovery class with folder scanning and config-based approaches, an IPluginLifecycle interface with async init/shutdown, a generic PluginHost separating loaded from active plugins, error isolation via a safe invocation wrapper, hot reload using AssemblyLoadContext with FileSystemWatcher, and graceful shutdown via IHostedService. A complete notification system example ties all patterns together, with FAQs addressing common production concerns like plugin timeouts, inter-plugin communication, and zero-downtime updates.