Backstage

App in the BluixApps catalog

What it is

Backstage is the open developer portal platform originally built at Spotify, now CNCF incubating. Service catalog, tech docs (TechDocs), software templates (Backstage Templates), plugin ecosystem with 100+ plugins. Centralizes "what services exist, who owns them, how to deploy" for engineering orgs.

The "internal developer platform" reference implementation — adopted by Spotify, Netflix, Expedia, Wealthsimple.

What it's for

  • Service catalog — single source of truth for "what services run where"
  • Tech docs (TechDocs) — Markdown-in-Git → rendered docs portal
  • Software templates — golden-path "new service" generators
  • API + dependency tracking — visualize service mesh + API consumers
  • Plugin ecosystem — add views for CI, K8s, AWS, costs, etc.

Who it's for

  • Mid-to-large engineering orgs with 10+ services + multiple teams
  • Platform engineering teams building internal developer platforms
  • Companies migrating from "tribal knowledge" to documented service catalog
  • DevEx teams standardizing developer workflows
  • Multi-team companies needing service ownership clarity

Why teams pick Backstage over alternatives

  • Apache 2.0 — fully open
  • CNCF Incubating — vendor-neutral governance
  • Massive plugin ecosystem — 100+ official + community plugins
  • Battle-tested at scale — Spotify, Netflix, BMW, NS
  • Active development — frequent releases
  • Customizable — full code-level customization

Integrations

  • Plugins (100+) — Kubernetes, AWS, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Argo CD, Datadog, PagerDuty, more
  • Identity — OAuth (Google, GitHub, Microsoft, custom OIDC), SAML
  • Service discovery — Kubernetes, AWS, GitHub orgs, GitLab groups
  • TechDocs — Markdown in Git rendered as searchable docs
  • Templates — Scaffold new services from golden paths
  • Database — Postgres primary
  • Search — built-in or Elasticsearch backend

Notable users & community

  • 29k+ GitHub stars
  • Spotify (origin), Netflix, BMW, Wealthsimple, Roadie, Expedia, NS, American Airlines
  • CNCF Incubating project
  • BackstageCon annual conference
  • Backed by Spotify + commercial community (Roadie, Spotify Backstage Hub)

Tips & operations

  • Production Backstage = custom build — Spotify's reference, then customize plugins for your org
  • This image is for evaluation — Roadie community Backstage with sample data
  • Postgres required — no SQLite option
  • Authentication setup is mandatory — guest auth is for dev only
  • Plugin selection — start minimal, add as needed
  • Resource sizing — Node.js heavy; 2-4 GB RAM minimum for production

What we ship in BluixApps

  • Docker image: roadiehq/community-backstage-image:latest (community quickstart)
  • Postgres backend with auto-generated password
  • Persistent Postgres volume
  • Port 7000 exposed (mapped from container 7007)
  • Guest auth enabled by default (for evaluation)
  • Production customization documented (custom build required)
  • Backup hook covers Postgres
Read this app's deep dive on bluix.app ↗

Get this app — pick a BluixApps plan

Same catalog. Scaling tenant isolation, white-label and support tier.

TierTenantsCatalogSupportWhite-labelMonthly
Stacks119 curated stacksStandard$19/moDetailDeploy
Starter10Full catalogStandard+$15–25/mo$49/moDetailDeploy
Pro25Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$149/moDetailDeploy
Growth100Full catalogPriority bugfix+$15–25/mo$349/moDetailDeploy
Scale500Full catalog7-day window+$15–25/mo$799/moDetailDeploy
EnterpriseUnlimitedFull catalogPriority 7-dayBundled$1,499/moDetailDeploy

Powered by WHMCompleteSolution