To develop a new Java {plugintype} for Logstash, you write a new Java class that
conforms to the Logstash Java {pluginclass} API, package it, and install it with the
logstash-plugin utility. We'll go through each of those steps.

[float]
=== Set up your environment

[float]
==== Copy the example repo

Start by copying the {pluginrepo}. The plugin API is currently part of the
Logstash codebase so you must have a local copy of that available. You can
obtain a copy of the Logstash codebase with the following `git` command:

[source,shell]
-----
git clone --branch <branch_name> --single-branch https://github.com/elastic/logstash.git <target_folder>
-----

The `branch_name` should correspond to the version of Logstash containing the
preferred revision of the Java plugin API. 

NOTE: The beta version of the Java plugin API is available in the `6.7`
branch of the Logstash codebase.

Specify the `target_folder` for your local copy of the Logstash codebase. If you
do not specify `target_folder`, it defaults to a new folder called `logstash`
under your current folder.

[float]
==== Generate the .jar file

After you have obtained a copy of the appropriate revision of the Logstash
codebase, you need to compile it to generate the .jar file containing the Java
plugin API. From the root directory of your Logstash codebase ($LS_HOME), you
can compile it with `./gradlew assemble` (or `gradlew.bat assemble` if you're
running on Windows). This should produce the
`$LS_HOME/logstash-core/build/libs/logstash-core-x.y.z.jar` where `x`, `y`, and
`z` refer to the version of Logstash.

After you have successfully compiled Logstash, you need to tell your Java plugin
where to find the `logstash-core-x.y.z.jar` file. Create a new file named
`gradle.properties` in the root folder of your plugin project. That file should
have a single line:

[source,txt]
-----
LOGSTASH_CORE_PATH=<target_folder>/logstash-core
-----

where `target_folder` is the root folder of your local copy of the Logstash codebase.

