diff --git a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
index 915049366c..a97f8b31d8 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import aws from 'aws-sdk';
 import { AwsS3Integration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { AzureIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
+import { BackendFeature } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { BitbucketCloudIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { BitbucketIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { BitbucketServerIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ import { CacheClient } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { CacheClientOptions } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { CacheClientSetOptions } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import { ConfigService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import cors from 'cors';
 import Docker from 'dockerode';
 import { Duration } from 'luxon';
@@ -26,6 +28,7 @@ import { GiteaIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { GithubCredentialsProvider } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { GithubIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { GitLabIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
+import { IdentityService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { isChildPath } from '@backstage/cli-common';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
 import { KubeConfig } from '@kubernetes/client-node';
@@ -33,6 +36,7 @@ import { LoadConfigOptionsRemote } from '@backstage/config-loader';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { LoggerService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { MergeResult } from 'isomorphic-git';
+import { PermissionsService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { CacheService as PluginCacheManager } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { DatabaseService as PluginDatabaseManager } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { DiscoveryService as PluginEndpointDiscovery } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
@@ -47,10 +51,12 @@ import { ReadUrlOptions } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { ReadUrlResponse } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { RequestHandler } from 'express';
 import { Router } from 'express';
+import { SchedulerService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { SearchOptions } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { SearchResponse } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { SearchResponseFile } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { Server } from 'http';
+import { ServiceRef } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { TokenManagerService as TokenManager } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { TransportStreamOptions } from 'winston-transport';
 import { UrlReaderService as UrlReader } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
@@ -228,6 +234,32 @@ export function createDatabaseClient(
   overrides?: Partial<Knex.Config>,
 ): Knex<any, any[]>;
 
+// @public
+export const createPluginCompat: (
+  name: string,
+  createRouterImport: Promise<{
+    default: LegacyCreateRouter<
+      TransformedEnv<
+        {
+          cache: PluginCacheManager;
+          config: ConfigService;
+          database: PluginDatabaseManager;
+          discovery: PluginEndpointDiscovery;
+          logger: LoggerService;
+          permissions: PermissionsService;
+          scheduler: SchedulerService;
+          tokenManager: TokenManager;
+          reader: UrlReader;
+          identity: IdentityService;
+        },
+        {
+          logger: (log: LoggerService) => Logger;
+        }
+      >
+    >;
+  }>,
+) => BackendFeature;
+
 // @public
 export function createRootLogger(
   options?: winston.LoggerOptions,
@@ -500,6 +532,9 @@ export type KubernetesContainerRunnerOptions = {
   timeoutMs?: number;
 };
 
+// @public (undocumented)
+export type LegacyCreateRouter<TEnv> = (deps: TEnv) => Promise<RequestHandler>;
+
 // @public
 export function loadBackendConfig(options: {
   logger: LoggerService;
@@ -513,6 +548,24 @@ export function loggerToWinstonLogger(
   opts?: TransportStreamOptions,
 ): Logger;
 
+// @public
+export function makePluginCompat<
+  TEnv extends Record<string, unknown>,
+  TEnvTransforms extends {
+    [key in keyof TEnv]?: (dep: TEnv[key]) => unknown;
+  },
+>(
+  envMapping: {
+    [key in keyof TEnv]: ServiceRef<TEnv[key]>;
+  },
+  envTransforms: TEnvTransforms,
+): (
+  name: string,
+  createRouterImport: Promise<{
+    default: LegacyCreateRouter<TransformedEnv<TEnv, TEnvTransforms>>;
+  }>,
+) => BackendFeature;
+
 // @public
 export function notFoundHandler(): RequestHandler;
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/compat.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/compat.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..16fe48dcb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/compat.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2023 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 {
+  coreServices,
+  createBackendPlugin,
+  ServiceRef,
+} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { RequestHandler } from 'express';
+import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './logging';
+
+/**
+ * @public
+ */
+export type LegacyCreateRouter<TEnv> = (deps: TEnv) => Promise<RequestHandler>;
+
+/** @ignore */
+type TransformedEnv<
+  TEnv extends Record<string, unknown>,
+  TEnvTransforms extends { [key in keyof TEnv]?: (dep: TEnv[key]) => unknown },
+> = {
+  [key in keyof TEnv]: TEnvTransforms[key] extends (dep: TEnv[key]) => infer R
+    ? R
+    : TEnv[key];
+};
+
+/**
+ * Creates a new custom plugin compatibility wrapper.
+ *
+ * @public
+ * @remarks
+ *
+ * Usually you can use {@link createPluginCompat} directly instead, but you might
+ * need to use this if you have customized the plugin environment in your backend.
+ */
+export function makePluginCompat<
+  TEnv extends Record<string, unknown>,
+  TEnvTransforms extends { [key in keyof TEnv]?: (dep: TEnv[key]) => unknown },
+>(
+  envMapping: { [key in keyof TEnv]: ServiceRef<TEnv[key]> },
+  envTransforms: TEnvTransforms,
+) {
+  return (
+    name: string,
+    createRouterImport: Promise<{
+      default: LegacyCreateRouter<TransformedEnv<TEnv, TEnvTransforms>>;
+    }>,
+  ) => {
+    const compatPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
+      id: name,
+      register(env) {
+        env.registerInit({
+          deps: { ...envMapping, _router: coreServices.httpRouter },
+          async init({ _router, ...envDeps }) {
+            const { default: createRouter } = await createRouterImport;
+            const pluginEnv = Object.fromEntries(
+              Object.entries(envDeps).map(([key, dep]) => {
+                const transform = envTransforms[key];
+                if (transform) {
+                  return [key, transform(dep)];
+                }
+                return [key, dep];
+              }),
+            );
+            const router = await createRouter(
+              pluginEnv as TransformedEnv<TEnv, TEnvTransforms>,
+            );
+            _router.use(router);
+          },
+        });
+      },
+    });
+
+    return compatPlugin();
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Helper function to create a plugin from a legacy createRouter function and
+ * register it with the http router based on the plugin id.
+ *
+ * @public
+ * @remarks
+ *
+ * This is intended to be used by plugin authors to ease the transition to the
+ * new backend system.
+ *
+ * @example
+ *
+ *```ts
+ *backend.add(createPluginCompat('kafka', import('./plugins/kafka')));
+ *```
+ */
+export const createPluginCompat = makePluginCompat(
+  {
+    cache: coreServices.cache,
+    config: coreServices.config,
+    database: coreServices.database,
+    discovery: coreServices.discovery,
+    logger: coreServices.logger,
+    permissions: coreServices.permissions,
+    scheduler: coreServices.scheduler,
+    tokenManager: coreServices.tokenManager,
+    reader: coreServices.urlReader,
+    identity: coreServices.identity,
+  },
+  {
+    logger: log => loggerToWinstonLogger(log),
+  },
+);
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
index 238e58b2a8..178a064cb9 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
  * @packageDocumentation
  */
 
+export { makePluginCompat, createPluginCompat } from './compat';
+export type { LegacyCreateRouter } from './compat';
 export * from './cache';
 export { loadBackendConfig } from './config';
 export * from './context';