...
Being an automation hub, it is Hobson's job to expose disparate types of smart devices (e.g. lights, thermostats, etc.) in a consistent way. Hobson is designed around a completely modular architecture that allows third-parties to easily create plugins that extends its capabilities to to integrate with new types of hardware and sources of data.
...
Note that plugins are used not only for device control (e.g. Foscam Camera, Philips Hue) but for core Hub capabilities such as scheduling and the web management APIsconsole.
At it's simplest level, creating a Hobson Hub plugin involves creating a HobsonPlugin implementation that creates one or more HobsonDevice implementations. Each HobsonDevice is responsible for monitoring and/or controlling an external entity – a light switch, a weather API, etc. Everything is packaged as a Hobson Plugin Bundle which can then be installed on and used by the Hobson Hub.
...
These manager interfaces (configurationaction, device, disco, etc.) hide the OSGi-specific details from your HobsonPlugin. This separation makes it much easier to maintain and unit test the core Hobson code and simplifies the dependencies for HobsonPlugin implementations.
...