Backstage: An Overview of Spotify’s Open-Source Developer Portal

Backstage: What is it?

Backstage is an open-source developer portal developed by Spotify to consolidate all developer tools, services, and documentation together in one place. It simplifies development workflows by providing a single platform to manage and discover everything developers need.

Spotify originally built Backstage to handle its growing number of microservices. As the number of services increased, it became difficult to track ownership, documentation, and dependencies. Backstage solved this problem by acting as a central hub. Later, Spotify made it open-source, and now many companies use it to streamline their software development process.

What Does Backstage Offer?

In modern software development, companies use multiple tools, platforms, and services. Managing everything manually can lead to confusion, inefficiency, and wasted time. Backstage helps by:

Centralizing developer resources: All services, APIs, and documentation are available in one place.
Improving discoverability: Teams can easily find and manage microservices, reducing redundancy.
Automating service creation: Developers can quickly set up new projects using standardized templates.
Enhancing documentation: Backstage makes it easy to maintain and access up-to-date documentation.
Integrating with DevOps tools: Backstage connects with CI/CD pipelines, monitoring systems, and cloud services.

Key Features of Backstage

1. Brings Everything in One Place

Backstage provides a single dashboard where developers can manage all their software tools, services, and documentation. Instead of switching between multiple platforms, teams can access everything from one interface. This makes development more efficient and reduces time spent searching for information.

2. Service Catalog

One of the most powerful features of Backstage is the Service Catalog. It helps organizations keep track of all microservices, APIs, and dependencies. Each service entry in the catalog contains:

Service owner details: Know who is responsible for a particular service.
Documentation: Direct links to API specs and usage guides.
Monitoring and alerts: Easily access dashboards from tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog.
Dependencies and integrations: Understand how services interact with each other.

By having all this information in one place, troubleshooting and onboarding new team members become much easier.

3. Easy Service Creation with Templates

In many organizations, developers spend a lot of time manually setting up new services. Backstage provides software templates to standardize and automate this process. Teams can create templates that define the necessary configurations, security policies, and best practices. Whenever a new service is created, it automatically follows the company’s standards, reducing errors and ensuring compliance.

4. TechDocs: Simple Documentation Management

Good documentation is essential, but maintaining it can be a challenge. Backstage’s TechDocs feature allows developers to write documentation in simple Markdown format and store it in the same repository as the code. Backstage then renders this documentation in an easy-to-read format. This ensures that documentation is always up to date and available directly in the developer portal.

5. Custom Plugins for Extra Features

Backstage is highly customizable. Companies can create their own plugins or use existing ones to extend functionality. Some popular integrations include:

CI/CD Pipelines: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, ArgoCD
Monitoring & Logging: Prometheus, Datadog, New Relic, Splunk
Cloud Services: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
Security & Compliance: SonarQube, Snyk, Vault

With these integrations, Backstage becomes the central hub for all engineering activities.

6. Boosts Developer Productivity

By bringing all tools and information together, Backstage helps developers focus on their work instead of wasting time navigating different platforms. This increases productivity and reduces frustration.

Where Can Backstage Be Used?

Backstage is a versatile platform that can be used in different scenarios:

Managing Microservices: Keep track of service ownership, dependencies, and health status.
Self-Service Infrastructure: Automate service setup and cloud provisioning with predefined templates.
API Management: Centralize API discovery and documentation.
CI/CD Integration: Work smoothly with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD, and other CI/CD tools.
Monitoring & Logging: Connect with tools like Prometheus, Datadog, or New Relic for better observability.

How Backstage Helps Different Teams

For Developers

Quick access to documentation, APIs, and internal tools.
Simplified onboarding for new team members.
Automated service creation reduces manual setup.

For DevOps Teams

Easy integration with CI/CD and cloud infrastructure.
Centralized monitoring and logging for quick debugging.
Better visibility into all running services.

For Engineering Managers

Clear ownership of services.
Better governance and standardization across teams.
Improved developer experience and productivity.

How to Get Started?

Backstage is open-source and can be installed in your environment using Docker or Kubernetes. Here’s how you can explore it:

Real-World Use Cases

Many well-known companies use Backstage to improve their engineering workflows. Some examples include:

Spotify: Manages thousands of microservices efficiently.
Netflix: Uses Backstage to track internal developer tools and documentation.
American Airlines: Integrates Backstage with cloud infrastructure to standardize service creation.
LinkedIn: Uses Backstage to create a centralized developer portal, providing a single point of access for their developers.

Conclusion

Backstage is a powerful platform that simplifies software development by centralizing tools, documentation, and services. It helps organizations manage microservices, automate workflows, and improve productivity. With its growing ecosystem of plugins and integrations, Backstage is quickly becoming the standard for modern DevOps teams.