# How to install plugins without using a third-party host?

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-plugins-without-using-a-third-party-host/406009
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [June 24, 2026, 11:12am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-plugins-without-using-a-third-party-host/406009 "2026-06-24T11:12:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 17

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### Author: ![awesomerobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/awesomerobot/32/142900_2.png) [@awesomerobot](https://meta.discourse.org/u/awesomerobot)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-install-plugins-without-using-a-third-party-host/406009/17 "2026-06-24T13:28:01Z")

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Even simpler if you don’t want to install the discourse\_theme gem, themes can be uploaded as a zip file and you could build quite a lot in the admin UI directly.

And to reiterate, unless you’re working with ruby you don’t need a plugin at all, so a theme is likely what you’re asking for… no git needed.

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