System and method allow for communication with and management of multiple external components. A component manager communicates with one or more component adapters. Each component adapter communicates with an external component and is able to call the methods, functions, procedures, and other operations of the external component. The component manager associates these external operations with local operations, such that an application may use local operation names to invoke the external operations. Furthermore, the component manager has component definitions and operation definitions that describe the component adapters and operations, including input and output parameters and the like. The component manager is able to receive a group of data including a local operation and a list of input and output parameters and determine from the foregoing information which external operation to call and which component adapter has access to the external operation.