Discover the Power of Backstage Plugins!

Learn from a hands-on workshop derived from our experience with large enterprises. This isn't theory—it's actionable expertise. Join a workshop loaded with best practices, insights, and advanced engineering.

Everything in Backstage is a Plugin!

The architecture of Backstage is ingeniously designed around plugins. Everything from the Service Catalog, Templates, Scaffolder, Search and Tech Docs are all plugins! This workshop will not only equip you with the skills to create and manage plugins - but start to build an understanding of a core component of grand architecture underpinning Backstage. Dive into our workshop, and empower yourself to shape and command Backstage Plugins!

Mastering Plugins:
Improve Your Internal Developer Portal Without Limitations

To fully harness and customize Backstage tailored to your company's unique needs, a deep understanding of plugin development is indispensable. Without mastering plugins, you're confined to a limited realm of possibilities in Backstage. Break through these constraints and unlock a world of expansive features. Embrace the power of plugins and propel your capabilities to new horizons. Say yes to boundless innovation!

Confidence to Innovate

Grasping the intricacies of plugins doesn't just give you a technical advantage—it fuels your creativity. With this newfound knowledge, you'll confidently design and implement complex features and functionalities, turning your innovative ideas into powerful features.

Deeper understanding of Backstage Architecture

Go beyond mere plugin creation, understand plugins and decode the core of Backstage's architecture. These are not just plugins; they're the fundamental building blocks that shape Backstage. As you master plugins, watch your understanding of the entire ecosystem come alive.

Maximize ROI, Engagement, & Adoption

Mastering plugin development isn't just about technical prowess—it's an investment that brings exponential returns. By customizing Backstage to your unique needs, systems and users, you open doors to unparalleled solutions. Don't just adapt; lead. Witness your investments bear fruit as you craft amazing solutions and experiences for your users, and organizations.

Who is this workshop for?

Experienced Backstage Developer: If you've already dabbled in Backstage and built a foundational understanding, but feel there's more to explore—especially in plugin development—this workshop is your next step. We're here to refine your skills and elevate your mastery.

Developers Seeking Direction: Perhaps you haven't ventured into creating a Backstage plugin yet, If the term 'plugin' sounds daunting or if you’re unsure where to begin, fret not! We’ve tailored segments of our workshop especially for you. Think of this as a guided tour, ensuring you never feel lost, and always feel empowered to ask, learn, and grow.

Teams with Aspirations: For teams eager to amplify their collective proficiency, this workshop is a goldmine. Equip your developer suite with the confidence and competence to craft sophisticated plugins, fostering a harmonized and empowered team environment.

Everyone Eager to Learn: Whether you’re a seasoned developer, a newbie, or someone in between, if you have the zeal to learn, we have the insights to share. Join us, and let’s embark on this enlightening journey together.

What you will build

Pipeline Monitor Plugin

In this workshop, we’ll build a Pipeline Monitor plugin to pull information from external services and aggregate that information in a database. The plugin will allow your users to customize it via YAML. The functionality of the YAML syntax will be configurable with custom functions in the backend. We’ll create a backend plugin engine that will use configuration from the YAML file to execute pipeline monitoring by polling each state of the pipeline, retrieving the status, and storing the status in the database. We’ll implement a mechanism for generating and storing information summaries in the database. The raw data about the pipeline and the status will be accessible via the backend REST API. We’ll write a front-end plugin that will show information from the database.

Design

Dive into custom frontend components tailored for Backstage's APIs. Learn the boundaries between React and Backstage APIs, ensuring components are efficient and interactive. Understand the vital link between frontend design and the plugin backend.

Build

Navigate the creation of a robust backend. Design and deploy a specialized database for your plugin, ensuring optimal data flow between frontend and backend. Master the intricacies of seamless data storage and retrieval.

Test

Embrace the importance of rigorous plugin testing. Uncover best practices to identify and rectify vulnerabilities, ensuring your plugin meets the highest quality benchmarks.

Ship

Learn to bundle, build, and ship your plugin. Ensure your creation is packaged for easy integration, sharing your innovation internally or with the broader Backstage community.

What you will learn

Frontend

Create frontend components that work as a page or a card.
Create an API client for your backend API
Make the API client available via an API Ref.
Use your custom API ref in your components.
Configure your API ref using Backstage API configuration.
Customize the frontend components of a new custom kind.

Catalog

Define a new custom kind
Create a new processor that will validate your kind using Zod
Emit custom relationships using processors

Backend

Create a new backend plugin using a new backend extension system.
Create a REST API backend using OpenAPI specification.
Generate types from OpenAPI specification.
Store and Share types between frontend and backend.
Write database migrations to create a database.
Write database migrations to change the database structure.
Connect the database to the REST API
Write a backend engine that will execute pipeline monitoring.

Workshop Instructors

Official Backstage Professional Services Partners

Frontside is recognized as a Professional Services Partner with Backstage and have helped companies of all sizes develop a wide range of solutions leveraging Plugins.

Enterprise Level Backstage Experience

Frontside has worked with some of the largest Enterprise companies with extremely complex, data models, and requirements for their plugins and overall system of plugins. We build plugins that can can to Enterprise.

Early-Adopters, Highly Experienced Engineers

Frontside has been using Backstage before the 1.0-release. Our engineers have a wealth of experience in Backstage and Backstage plugins, and their underlying technologies such as React and Typescript.

Pioneering the Backstage Ecosystem

Frontside both independently and in collaboration with our trusted partners has been at the forefront of Backstage innovation.

Core Contributors

Frontside has been diligently studying the core mechanics, and where applicable have contribution code to both the core and by creating plugins to enhance core and overall functionality.

Engaged and Invested Community Members

Proactive members of various Special Interest Groups, actively engage on the community Discord, and are regular attendees of Community and Contributor Backstage Sessions. Frontside’s commitment isn't just superficial; they are genuinely invested in uplifting and supporting fellow community members.

Trusted By

What our clients say

"I owe so much to [Frontside]...who were like professors to me — and [ when needed ] told me 'no'. And they needed to tell me 'no' [sometimes]. Thank so you very much, guys, for that.”

Guilherme G., Senior Software Engineer

"Huge, thank you, huge...for investing in me and helping me move forward with my knowledge of the latest technologies. It was a daunting task for me to learn this tech stack, and you guys [invested] a lot in me. I really appreciate that. I really [have] been able to move forward and become confident in this technology set because of your guys' [investment] in me!"

North K., Software Engineer

"The Frontside developers have an incredibly high level of technical expertise. They've built complex plug-ins from scratch...I consider them educators as much as individual contributors, because they can communicate so clearly about their ideas, and they have deep skills to share."

Benji S., Staff Software Engineer

Join us to elevate your Backstage expertise and transform into a proficient plugin developer. Discover, learn, and kick-start your path to master the art of crafting sophisticated plugins for Backstage in this comprehensive, hands-on workshop.