SME Server's third design goal is extensibility, which provides a balance to the simplicity previously described. Since the simplest possible server will not suit every need, we make it easy to customize and extend the server in a number of ways.
Firstly, interfaces are provided for experienced users to customize the system from the Linux command line. These include tools to manipulate the configuration database, trigger events, or modify the configuration files for the various software installed on the system.
Secondly, applications allows developers to create additional software modules which can be easily installed and configured by end-users. Applications may provide application software for the server's users, administration tools, network services, or any other type of software or data.
The SME Server architecture explicitly supports developers by making it easy to drop software into place and remove it without needing to modify existing files. For instance, a web application does not need to edit the web server configuration file, but can simply drop a template fragment into the appropriate directory on the system and be assured that it will be expanded into the configuration file as required.