Glossary

Quick definitions, A to Z. Terms point to the guide that explains them in context.

Backend plugin — server-side Backstage extension (Scaffolder, TechDocs builder, catalog ingestion).

catalog-info.yaml — the YAML file in a repo describing its entity for the catalog.

CNCF — Cloud Native Computing Foundation; Backstage is an incubating project there.

Component — a catalog entity: a software thing (service, library, website).

Domain — catalog grouping of systems by business area.

Entity — anything in the catalog: component, resource, group, user, system, domain.

Frontend plugin — UI extension adding pages, cards, tabs to the portal.

Golden path — the paved, recommended way to do something; encoded in templates.

Group — a catalog entity representing a team; owns components.

Internal developer portal (IDP) — the category Backstage belongs to: a single front door for engineering.

Lifecycle — where an entity is in its life: experimental, production, deprecated.

New backend system — Backstage's modern plugin architecture (stable since late 2024).

Owner — the group (ultimately people) responsible for an entity.

Platform engineering — the discipline of building internal platforms (like Backstage) that make developers effective.

Plugin — an extension adding capability to Backstage. See Plugins.

Resource — a catalog entity for infrastructure a component needs (database, queue, bucket).

Scaffolder — the backend engine that executes software templates.

Software Catalog — Backstage's central directory of entities. See The Software Catalog.

Software Template — a defined, parameterizable scaffolding for new things. See Software Templates.

System — a catalog entity grouping related components.

TechDocs — docs-as-code in Backstage: Markdown in the repo, built and served in the portal. See TechDocs.