diff --git a/packages/backend/src/next/index.ts b/packages/backend/src/next/index.ts
index de40592ea5..f0f246343d 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/next/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/next/index.ts
@@ -14,94 +14,14 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import { createBackend } from '@backstage/backend-app-api';
+import { createBackendModule } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import {
-  createBackend,
-  loggerToWinstonLogger,
-} from '@backstage/backend-app-api';
-import {
-  configServiceRef,
-  createBackendModule,
-  createBackendPlugin,
-  createServiceRef,
-  databaseServiceRef,
-  loggerServiceRef,
-  permissionsServiceRef,
-  urlReaderServiceRef,
-  httpRouterServiceRef,
-} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
-import {
-  CatalogBuilder,
-  CatalogProcessor,
+  catalogPlugin,
+  catalogProcessingInitApiRef,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend';
 import { ScaffolderEntitiesProcessor } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend';
 
-interface CatalogProcessingInitApi {
-  addProcessor(processor: CatalogProcessor): void;
-}
-
-export const catalogProcessingInitApiRef =
-  createServiceRef<CatalogProcessingInitApi>({
-    id: 'catalog.processing',
-  });
-
-class CatalogExtensionPointImpl implements CatalogProcessingInitApi {
-  #processors = new Array<CatalogProcessor>();
-
-  addProcessor(processor: CatalogProcessor): void {
-    this.#processors.push(processor);
-  }
-
-  get processors() {
-    return this.#processors;
-  }
-}
-
-export const catalogPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
-  id: 'catalog',
-  register(env) {
-    const processingExtensions = new CatalogExtensionPointImpl();
-    // plugins depending on this API will be initialized before this plugins init method is executed.
-    env.registerExtensionPoint(
-      catalogProcessingInitApiRef,
-      processingExtensions,
-    );
-
-    env.registerInit({
-      deps: {
-        logger: loggerServiceRef,
-        config: configServiceRef,
-        reader: urlReaderServiceRef,
-        permissions: permissionsServiceRef,
-        database: databaseServiceRef,
-        httpRouter: httpRouterServiceRef,
-      },
-      async init({
-        logger,
-        config,
-        reader,
-        database,
-        permissions,
-        httpRouter,
-      }) {
-        const winstonLogger = loggerToWinstonLogger(logger);
-        const builder = await CatalogBuilder.create({
-          config,
-          reader,
-          permissions,
-          database,
-          logger: winstonLogger,
-        });
-        builder.addProcessor(...processingExtensions.processors);
-        const { processingEngine, router } = await builder.build();
-
-        await processingEngine.start();
-
-        httpRouter.use(router);
-      },
-    });
-  },
-});
-
 export const scaffolderCatalogExtension = createBackendModule({
   moduleId: 'scaffolder.extention',
   pluginId: 'catalog',
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/api-report.md b/plugins/catalog-backend/api-report.md
index 3bd9504bea..b7e63ae66d 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/api-report.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 ```ts
 /// <reference types="node" />
 
+import { BackendRegistrable } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { CatalogApi } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 import { CatalogEntityDocument } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-common';
 import { CatalogProcessor } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-node';
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ import { Readable } from 'stream';
 import { ResourcePermission } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { Router } from 'express';
 import { ScmIntegrationRegistry } from '@backstage/integration';
+import { ServiceRef } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { TokenManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { UrlReader } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { Validators } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
@@ -215,6 +217,9 @@ export type CatalogEnvironment = {
 export type CatalogPermissionRule<TParams extends unknown[] = unknown[]> =
   PermissionRule<Entity, EntitiesSearchFilter, 'catalog-entity', TParams>;
 
+// @alpha
+export const catalogPlugin: (option: unknown) => BackendRegistrable;
+
 // @public (undocumented)
 export interface CatalogProcessingEngine {
   // (undocumented)
@@ -223,6 +228,15 @@ export interface CatalogProcessingEngine {
   stop(): Promise<void>;
 }
 
+// @alpha (undocumented)
+export interface CatalogProcessingInitApi {
+  // (undocumented)
+  addProcessor(processor: CatalogProcessor): void;
+}
+
+// @alpha (undocumented)
+export const catalogProcessingInitApiRef: ServiceRef<CatalogProcessingInitApi>;
+
 export { CatalogProcessor };
 
 export { CatalogProcessorCache };
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
index 3177782289..c36e28deb8 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
     "clean": "backstage-cli package clean"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@backstage/backend-app-api": "^0.0.0",
+    "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": "^0.0.0",
     "@backstage/plugin-catalog-node": "^0.0.0",
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.14.1-next.2",
     "@backstage/catalog-client": "^1.0.4-next.1",
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6742757294
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2022 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from '@backstage/backend-app-api';
+import {
+  configServiceRef,
+  createBackendPlugin,
+  createServiceRef,
+  databaseServiceRef,
+  loggerServiceRef,
+  permissionsServiceRef,
+  urlReaderServiceRef,
+  httpRouterServiceRef,
+} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { CatalogProcessor } from '../api/processor';
+import { CatalogBuilder } from './CatalogBuilder';
+
+/**
+ * @alpha
+ */
+export interface CatalogProcessingInitApi {
+  addProcessor(processor: CatalogProcessor): void;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @alpha
+ */
+export const catalogProcessingInitApiRef =
+  createServiceRef<CatalogProcessingInitApi>({
+    id: 'catalog.processing',
+  });
+
+class CatalogExtensionPointImpl implements CatalogProcessingInitApi {
+  #processors = new Array<CatalogProcessor>();
+
+  addProcessor(processor: CatalogProcessor): void {
+    this.#processors.push(processor);
+  }
+
+  get processors() {
+    return this.#processors;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Catalog plugin
+ * @alpha
+ */
+export const catalogPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
+  id: 'catalog',
+  register(env) {
+    const processingExtensions = new CatalogExtensionPointImpl();
+    // plugins depending on this API will be initialized before this plugins init method is executed.
+    env.registerExtensionPoint(
+      catalogProcessingInitApiRef,
+      processingExtensions,
+    );
+
+    env.registerInit({
+      deps: {
+        logger: loggerServiceRef,
+        config: configServiceRef,
+        reader: urlReaderServiceRef,
+        permissions: permissionsServiceRef,
+        database: databaseServiceRef,
+        httpRouter: httpRouterServiceRef,
+      },
+      async init({
+        logger,
+        config,
+        reader,
+        database,
+        permissions,
+        httpRouter,
+      }) {
+        const winstonLogger = loggerToWinstonLogger(logger);
+        const builder = await CatalogBuilder.create({
+          config,
+          reader,
+          permissions,
+          database,
+          logger: winstonLogger,
+        });
+        builder.addProcessor(...processingExtensions.processors);
+        const { processingEngine, router } = await builder.build();
+
+        await processingEngine.start();
+
+        httpRouter.use(router);
+      },
+    });
+  },
+});
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/index.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/index.ts
index b1e91e4382..ed24780c5a 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/index.ts
@@ -16,3 +16,6 @@
 
 export type { CatalogEnvironment } from './CatalogBuilder';
 export { CatalogBuilder } from './CatalogBuilder';
+
+export type { CatalogProcessingInitApi } from './CatalogPlugin';
+export { catalogPlugin, catalogProcessingInitApiRef } from './CatalogPlugin';