# Customizing via core edits vs. using plugins
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [February 25, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478 "2018-02-25T17:27:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Guy\_Fawkes](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Guy_Fawkes)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/1 "2018-02-25T17:27:03Z")
Hello , I was wondering what are the worst things could happen if I changed/add/remove the features of Discourse by customisation its core instead of doing it with plugins ?
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### Author:  [@8BIT](https://meta.discourse.org/u/8BIT)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/2 "2018-02-25T17:31:24Z")
worst thing? it just won’t work and you’ll have to do a fresh install.
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### Author:  [@Guy\_Fawkes](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Guy_Fawkes)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/3 "2018-02-25T17:34:44Z")
Can you please explain that `fresh install ` I am not a developer I don’t know what;'s that means
I think that adding the features I’ll need requires a lot of plugins which I think going to have a bad impact on the website functionality I’ve read some posts here from some people saying that .
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### Author:  [@8BIT](https://meta.discourse.org/u/8BIT)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/4 "2018-02-25T17:39:25Z")
it means that you may “break” it to a point where it no longer functions as it should (or even loads properly). getting technical support and/or guidance should be top-of-mind if you’re not technical yourself… if you want to customize it, that is.
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### Author:  [@Guy\_Fawkes](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Guy_Fawkes)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/5 "2018-02-25T17:43:09Z")
Actually when I said I will customize it , I meant discourse developers 😅
so in this case that will be possible ? right ?
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### Author:  [@omarfilip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/omarfilip)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/6 "2018-02-25T17:47:58Z")
> [@Guy\_Fawkes](#):
>
> if I changed/add/remove the features of Discourse by customisation its core instead of doing it with plugins?
You would lose the ability to update Discourse with the click of a button, and you would be on your own with regard to fixing issues.
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### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/7 "2018-02-25T18:03:45Z")
Don’t do it… you’ll end up in the dark ages with people that have old vB forums that they can’t update because they hacked them relentlessly.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/8 "2018-02-25T21:40:12Z")
You would be in a world of hurt in which you’d have to live alone.
That is to say, since you’ll be running a fork, you will not be running Discourse and, unless you have a team of programmers to keep your program in line with updates from core, you’ll never, ever, be able to integrate future changes in Discourse into your program. Also, since you won’t be running Discourse, you wont’ be able to get any help here.
Other than that, you’d be totally fine.
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/customizing-via-core-edits-vs-using-plugins/81478/9 "2018-02-25T22:13:54Z")
I have a fork of Discourse that I use when I want to hack Core.
I use it for experimenting _only_ and I use it accepting the fact that with every change I make I risk totally trashing the fork (I have done so numerous times) and that I will need to start over with a fresh install (also done numerous times).
Nothing personal, but as you are unsure what “fresh install” means I have a strong feeling you should not hack any Core yourself. It is much less stressful to hack, break, and fix a plugin than it is to try to restore Discourse Core to working order after it has been broken.