What's the Real Deal with Setting Up Backstage?
Asked by
CuriousCoder92
I'm part of a team that's spending a lot of time (over 18 months) and resources (6 full-time developers) trying to get Backstage up and running at my company. We have a pretty mixed tech environment, but nothing overly complex to integrate with. Our setup includes Azure, Azure DevOps, AWS, and some Kubernetes services. So far, we've just scratched the surface with initial integrations like Entra ID and Azure DevOps through plugins, plus a few scaffolding templates for repositories in frameworks like Next.js. Unfortunately, our Backstage instance feels empty and underutilized. I'm really curious about the challenges of implementing Backstage. Is it as tough as it seems? Are there fundamental flaws in the framework? How has it worked for others in their organizations? I'm looking for insights that could encourage us to keep pushing forward with our Backstage rollout and what I, as a developer, might gain from it.
Answers
It sounds like you're in a tough spot! Many of us hear that implementing Backstage is a real struggle, and it seems your team might not have had a clear vision from the start. It could help to ask yourselves what you want to achieve with Backstage before diving deeper. That clarity might prevent more delays!
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I've seen teams get super excited about what Backstage could offer, like easy microservices and infra requests. But trust me, untangling the mess of unnecessary services was a nightmare later on. If you don’t have a laser focus on solving specific problems, things can spiral out of control fast!
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We've had success with Backstage, but it definitely takes commitment. You need to have dedicated developers to tackle integrations and upkeep the tools. If everyone is on board and knows what they want out of it, it can really streamline workflows!
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Having gone through this ordeal, it’s painfully clear that defining success upfront is key. If your team doesn’t know what the expected outcomes are, it’s easy to waste a lot of time without meaningful results. Look into the buy vs. build debate for developer tools; sometimes, the open-source options can be too wide-ranging and require more setup than they’re worth.
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I spent a good chunk of time setting it up and ended up backing out. Backstage is really just a Node.js framework at its core, so strong Node developers are a must. I had some success with it, building catalogs and integrating documentation, but deployment was a mess and keeping everything updated became a nightmare. Don't go in expecting a polished product; it's more like a toolbox that needs a lot of customization!
DevDude3: Sounds rough! So it’s more about building what you need rather than getting a ready-made solution, huh?
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From my consulting days, I found that Backstage was often too complex and just didn’t mesh well with the specific needs of clients. My recommendation is to focus on what problem you are trying to solve first, and then see if Backstage aligns with that—otherwise, it might not be worth the hassle.
EngagedEngineer89: Agreed! Sometimes simpler solutions can be more effective.
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InquisitiveDev84: Exactly! Starting with a clear understanding of what problem you want to solve can save tons of headaches.