Tame Developer Chaos with Backstage.io

Tame Developer Chaos with Backstage.io

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Problem of Bookmarks of Death
3. Solving the Bookmark Problem with Backstage
4. The Frustration of Ticket Purgatory
5. Streamlining Ticket Processes with Backstage
6. The Challenge of the Documentation Graveyard
7. Simplifying Documentation with Backstage
8. Preventing Being Lost at Sea with Backstage Search
9. The Benefits of Backstage for Organizations
10. Contributing to Backstage Development
11. Red Hat Developer Hub: A Secure and Compliant Version of Backstage

The Developer Experience: Solving Frustrations with Backstage

As we often discuss the importance of user experience, we must not forget the individuals who build it – the developers. Developers face numerous frustrations and challenges that go beyond writing code. Recognizing this, Spotify took action by creating an open-source project called Backstage, which was donated to the CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation). Backstage aims to address these pain points while prioritizing the developer. In this article, we will explore some of these frustrations and how Backstage can help solve them.

The Problem of Bookmarks of Death

Have You ever found yourself drowning in a neverending list of bookmarks, unsure of Where To find what you need? This phenomenon, known as the "bookmark of death," is an all-too-common experience for developers. Backstage tackles this issue head-on with its catalog feature. Unlike other solutions that require additional maintenance, Backstage leverages the repositories developers already have. Whether it be storing Kubernetes projects, automation playbooks, or virtual machine applications, Backstage organizes and structures these repositories to Create a central catalog. Now, everything developers need is conveniently located in one place. Furthermore, Backstage's plugin support allows for seamless integration with various technologies, providing a comprehensive overview of the Kubernetes service, including ArgosCD and Tekton runs, Jira tickets, and pull requests.

Pros:

• Centralized catalog with all websites and applications
• Leverages existing repositories, eliminating the need for additional maintenance
• Seamless integration with various technologies through plugin support

Cons:

• Dependency on repositories for catalog functionality
• Potential need for additional configuration and setup for plugin integration

Solving the Bookmark Problem with Backstage

One of the pains developers frequently encounter is the struggle to find the right person to approach when needing a new repository, service, or resource provisioned. This often results in a frustrating experience known as "ticket purgatory." Backstage resolves this issue by introducing "software templates." These templates empower organizations to establish best practices and automate the creation of resources. Instead of filing a ticket and hoping for a Timely response, developers simply fill out a form, triggering the necessary automations to build the requested resources. From Kubernetes namespaces and automation playbooks to entire Git repositories and virtual machines, Backstage automates it all while ensuring the catalog remains up-to-date.

Pros:

• Eliminates ticket purgatory by automating resource creation
• Establishes best practices through software templates
• Seamlessly integrates new resources into the catalog

Cons:

• Dependency on predefined software templates
• Potential complexities in configuring and maintaining automation processes

The Challenge of the Documentation Graveyard

In many organizations, documentation tends to become lost and irrelevant over time. Files and folders become disorganized, making it nearly impossible to find the information needed. Backstage addresses this challenge by simplifying documentation management. Rather than relying on proprietary and hard-to-find WYSIWYG documents, Backstage connects documentation to the catalog and uses markdown files that live in the repository. With this approach, updating documentation becomes as straightforward as submitting a pull request. By bundling code updates and documentation changes together, Backstage ensures that everything is rendered and presented in a unified manner within the repository. No longer will developers struggle to find and update important documentation.

Pros:

• Simplifies documentation management through markdown files
• Streamlines documentation updates with code changes
• Ensures documentation remains up-to-date and easily accessible

Cons:

• Potential challenges in transitioning from WYSIWYG documents to markdown files
• Dependency on developers' participation in updating documentation

Simplifying Documentation with Backstage

With a catalog of resources, automated creation processes, and streamlined documentation management, Backstage delivers a comprehensive solution for developers' frustrations. To consolidate all these features and prevent developers from getting lost in a sea of information, Backstage provides a powerful search capability. This search function indexes the catalog, documentation, software templates, and plugins, enabling developers to quickly find anything they need. Whether it's locating a pre-existing Kafka service or identifying the owner of a particular Website, Backstage's search functionality leverages the materials developers contribute through their repositories, ensuring always up-to-date and easily discoverable information.

Preventing Being Lost at Sea with Backstage Search

Backstage effectively addresses the "bookmark of death" issue by providing a centralized catalog to pull resources from existing repositories. It streamlines the process of creating new resources through software templates. It simplifies documentation management by connecting it to the catalog and using markdown files. To tie it all together, Backstage's search feature prevents developers from feeling lost at sea. By indexing the catalog, documentation, software templates, and plugins, developers can rely on Backstage's robust search functionality to quickly find any resource they need.

The Benefits of Backstage for Organizations

Backstage offers numerous benefits for organizations aiming to enhance their developer experience. With the centralized catalog, streamlined resource creation, Simplified documentation management, and powerful search capabilities, developers can work more efficiently and effectively. Backstage's comprehensive solution not only improves the developer experience but also enhances overall productivity and collaboration within an organization.

Contributing to Backstage Development

For those interested in contributing to the development of Backstage or learning more about its potential benefits for their organization, visit the Backstage website at backstage.io. The website provides tutorials, examples, and resources that guide users through deploying Backstage and establishing best practices. Additionally, Red Hat offers a fully supported, scalable, enterprise-capable version of Backstage called the Red Hat Developer Hub. It includes hardened plugins and ensures compliance and security. To learn more about this enterprise-hardened version, visit developers.redhat.com/rhdh.

Highlights

• Backstage addresses frustrations faced by developers, providing solutions for the "bookmark of death," ticket purgatory, documentation graveyard, and information overload.
• Backstage's catalog feature eliminates the need for a neverending list of bookmarks by leveraging existing repositories and creating a centralized catalog of websites and applications.
• Software templates in Backstage automate the creation of resources, preventing developers from being stuck in ticket purgatory and streamlining resource provisioning.
• Backstage simplifies documentation management by connecting documentation to the catalog and using markdown files, ensuring up-to-date and easily accessible information.
• Backstage's search functionality prevents developers from feeling lost at sea by indexing the catalog, documentation, software templates, and plugins and providing a powerful search capability.
• Organizations can benefit from Backstage's comprehensive solution, improving the developer experience, productivity, and collaboration within the organization.
• Contributions to Backstage development and resources for deploying Backstage can be found on the Backstage website. The Red Hat Developer Hub offers a secure and compliant version of Backstage with additional support and scalability.