On extension strategies for GWT applications

I have to support the deployment of additional modules in order to dynamically extend my employer's GWT application, adding new features or customizing the existing ones.

I mean something like a plugin system which dynamically loads and executes new code deployed at any point of time.

The basic application is composed by several logical modules: they are compiled together and make heavy use of GIN and DFN code splitting.

So I'm looking for a way to make the additional modules coexist with the basic application, hence supplying additional features within the same HTML host page of the original application.

At server side I have a Spring web MVC application. In order to deploy the additional modules it is acceptable having to restart the web application (if needed), while it is not acceptable having to redeploy the entire war application. i.e. I could introduce some dedicated controllers to serve contents from additional modules at the appropriate URIs.

I'd like to know:

  1) is there any well established pattern for this kind of scenario?
  2) is there any certainty that compiling two modules separately then I can run them into the same HTML host page without any clash? i.e. separate GWT compiler executions on separate modules could generate globally-scoped javascript variables with the same name?
    2.a) if I can compile them separately, then I should find a way to make the two applications communicate, potentially sharing references of object managed by GIN. Is it feasible?
    2.b) if I cannot compile them separately, then is there any alternative to recompile them before the deploy? i.e. did anyone successfully integrate the GWT compiler or the superdevmode at the server side for production uses?

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