Plugins and Third-Party Tools#
Understand what each DDS integration installs or opens, its license, and its update and security limits.
Check the Integration Status#
Reviewed October 3, 2026. A Marketplace listing, a public source repository, an installed tool and a successful execution are different states. Check the status in your installed DDS release. The current integrations below are specific host features, not proof of a general plugin SDK.
Integration |
Current boundary |
Source and terms |
|---|---|---|
Verilator |
Source-preview catalog entry. The adapter plans lint arguments; DDS installation and execution are unavailable. |
|
Visual Studio Code |
Registers a DDS integration and opens a separately installed official VS Code application. Windows WSL use also requires the separately installed Microsoft WSL extension. Browser Cloud cannot launch it. |
|
KLayout |
On Windows x64 and Ubuntu 24.04 x64 (including WSL), the native integration downloads pinned official packages, verifies their hashes and opens a selected saved layout in a separate process. Required libraries and a GUI display must be available. Browser Cloud cannot launch it. |
Installing or removing the VS Code integration does not install or uninstall the VS Code application. KLayout has a separate managed tool package. DDS built-in analysis and layout views retain their own capabilities.
Licenses Apply to the Actual Material#
A public SDK or adapter license applies to the files it identifies. It does not replace the license of an external tool, copied library, bundled runtime, extension or trademark. A separate GitHub repository is useful for review and contributions, but is not by itself a legal requirement or proof of redistribution compliance.
Verilator offers LGPL-3.0 or Artistic-2.0 licensing for its internals. Record the applicable option and review runtime/header inclusion and any modified or distributed tool package. Its source-preview adapter has a separate Apache-2.0 license. See the official copyright explanation.
The pinned KLayout 0.30.12 source states GPL-3.0-or-later. If providing its binaries, evaluate the exact corresponding source, license notices, patches, build inputs and bundled dependency terms. Merely linking the adapter source is insufficient. See the versioned copyright.
VS Code source uses MIT, while Microsoft product binaries and Microsoft extensions have their own terms. The Visual Studio Marketplace terms separately restrict use of its offerings outside the designated Microsoft products. Opening official VS Code is different from importing its extensions into DDS.
Using a separate process helps define an integration boundary, but does not automatically settle licensing. Review the actual code, exchanged data and distribution method. Third-party names identify compatible tools and do not imply endorsement.
Downloads, Files and Permissions#
KLayout currently retrieves pinned packages from the official upstream origin. Hosting, caching, repackaging or mirroring tool binaries through Altifigence would require a separate distribution review. Before offering a package, identify its binary and source versions, dependency notices and source-access route.
An external editor or viewer can read the workspace or file you open with it. Review that application and its extensions, privacy settings and own update mechanism before sharing sensitive designs. A catalog listing does not create a sandbox around a native application or guarantee the absence of malware.
Hashes check expected bytes and signatures can identify a publisher. Neither is a guarantee of safety. Public source review, dependency analysis, scanning and restricted execution address different risks. Read the software terms and privacy notice for the current service boundaries.
Version Changes and Reporting#
VS Code updates through its own supported distribution. DDS compatibility still depends on the installed version and required extensions. Managed tool integrations should keep an exact reviewed version rather than silently downloading whatever is latest.
The planned maintenance process turns new upstream releases into reviewable updates with license-change checks and isolated compatibility tests. The current releases do not provide a general community plugin runtime or automatic package trust service. A future release channel also needs a way to stop offering an affected version and restore a previously reviewed compatible version.
When reporting an integration problem to Altifigence Support, include the DDS version, operating system, integration version and a minimal non-sensitive reproduction. Remove credentials and private design files from public reports. Report source issues for the public Verilator preview in its repository.
For source publication and the planned external developer interface, see DDS Plugin SDK.