ASDEX Upgrade Discharge Control System—A real-time plasma control framework

•The ASDEX Upgrade Discharge Control System (DCS) is a comprehensive control system to conduct fusion experiments.•DCS supports real-time diagnostic integration, adaptable feedback schemes, actuator management and exception handling.•DCS offers workflow management, logging and archiving, self-monitoring and inter-process communication.•DCS is based on a distributed, modular software framework architecture designed for real-time operation.•DCS is composed of re-usable generic but highly customisable components.