Live updating of a shared plugin registry with no service loss for active users

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory encoded with a set of instructions configured to perform a process comprising:
• providing a shared plugin registry, wherein the shared plugin registry includes at least a first version of a plugin package;
• detecting a second version of the plugin package in the shared plugin registry, wherein the second version of the plugin package is deployed to replace the first version of the plugin package;
• monitoring a number of active user sessions for the first version of the plugin package by determining whether there are new user sessions that request the first version of the plugin package or whether user sessions that were using the first version of the plugin package have ended;
• storing timestamps associated with each plugin package used by the user sessions;
• updating a reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package based on the monitoring, wherein the reference count indicates the number of active user sessions associated with the first plugin package, and the updating includes:
• (i) incrementing the reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package when a new user session is activated that requests use of the first version of the plugin package;
• and (ii) decrementing the reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package when a user session ends that was using the first version of the plugin package;
• and
• maintaining the first version of the plugin package while the reference count indicates at least one active user session is currently using the first version of the plugin package while concurrently providing the second version of the plugin package to a first new user session, wherein access to each plugin package throughout a user session is assured by using the stored timestamps to prevent a plugin package from being replaced by a newer version of the plugin package that is added to the shared plugin registry at a later date.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first computing device, cause the first computing device to perform operations comprising:

• providing a shared plugin registry, wherein the shared plugin registry at least a first version of a plugin package;
• detecting a second version of the plugin package in the shared plugin registry, wherein the second version of the plugin package is deployed to replace the first version of the plugin package;
• monitoring a number of active user sessions for the first version of the plugin package by determining whether there are new user sessions that request the first version of the plugin package or whether user sessions that were using the first version of the plugin package have ended;
• storing timestamps associated with each plugin package used by the user sessions;
• updating a reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package based on the monitoring, wherein the reference count indicates the number of active user sessions associated with the first plugin package, and the updating includes:
• (i) incrementing the reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package when a new user session is activated that requests use of the first version of the plugin package;
• and (ii) decrementing the reference count associated with the first version of the plugin package when a user session ends that was using the first version of the plugin package;
• and
• maintaining the first version of the plugin package while the reference count indicates at least one active user session is currently using the first version of the plugin package while concurrently providing the second version of the plugin package to a first new user session, wherein access to each plugin package throughout a user session is assured by using the stored timestamps to prevent a plugin package from being replaced by a newer version of the plugin package that is added to the shared plugin registry at a later date.