diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/index.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/index.ts
index d75f5c0941..33aca2b291 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/index.ts
@@ -21,4 +21,3 @@
  */
 
 export { createBackend } from './wiring/types';
-export { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './services/implementations/loggerService';
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/configService.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/configService.ts
index e9a81ae100..94a59baf34 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/configService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/configService.ts
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ import { loadBackendConfig } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import {
   configServiceRef,
   createServiceFactory,
+  loggerToWinstonLogger,
   loggerServiceRef,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
-import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './loggerService';
 
 export const configFactory = createServiceFactory({
   service: configServiceRef,
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/loggerService.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/loggerService.ts
index ff6af4b643..fbeb4b9ade 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/loggerService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/loggerService.ts
@@ -23,38 +23,26 @@ import {
 import { Logger as WinstonLogger } from 'winston';
 
 class BackstageLogger implements Logger {
-  constructor(
-    private readonly options: {
-      winston: WinstonLogger;
-    },
-  ) {}
+  static fromWinston(logger: WinstonLogger): BackstageLogger {
+    return new BackstageLogger(logger);
+  }
+
+  private constructor(private readonly winston: WinstonLogger) {}
 
   info(message: string, ...meta: any[]): void {
-    this.options.winston.info(message, ...meta);
+    this.winston.info(message, ...meta);
   }
 
   child(fields: { [name: string]: string }): Logger {
-    return new BackstageLogger({
-      winston: this.options.winston.child(fields),
-    });
+    return new BackstageLogger(this.winston.child(fields));
   }
-
-  toWinston() {
-    return this.options.winston;
-  }
-}
-
-export function loggerToWinstonLogger(logger: Logger): WinstonLogger {
-  return (logger as BackstageLogger).toWinston();
 }
 
 export const loggerFactory = createServiceFactory({
   service: loggerServiceRef,
   deps: {},
   factory: async () => {
-    const root = new BackstageLogger({
-      winston: createRootLogger(),
-    });
+    const root = BackstageLogger.fromWinston(createRootLogger());
     return async (pluginId: string) => {
       return root.child({ pluginId });
     };
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/tokenManagerService.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/tokenManagerService.ts
index 7f0423e845..2e82fce9d9 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/tokenManagerService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/tokenManagerService.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ import {
   loggerServiceRef,
   createServiceFactory,
   tokenManagerServiceRef,
+  loggerToWinstonLogger,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { ServerTokenManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
-import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './loggerService';
 
 export const tokenManagerFactory = createServiceFactory({
   service: tokenManagerServiceRef,
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/urlReaderService.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/urlReaderService.ts
index 7df6ca33a9..74431dfa0d 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/urlReaderService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/services/implementations/urlReaderService.ts
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ import {
   configServiceRef,
   createServiceFactory,
   loggerServiceRef,
+  loggerToWinstonLogger,
   urlReaderServiceRef,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
-import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './loggerService';
 
 export const urlReaderFactory = createServiceFactory({
   service: urlReaderServiceRef,
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/package.json b/packages/backend-plugin-api/package.json
index 24d2012374..dcf37826df 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/package.json
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/package.json
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.14.1-next.2",
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "^0.6.3-next.0",
     "@backstage/backend-tasks": "^0.3.3-next.2",
-    "express": "^4.17.1"
+    "express": "^4.17.1",
+    "winston": "^3.2.1",
+    "winston-transport": "^4.5.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@backstage/cli": "^0.18.0-next.2",
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/index.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/index.ts
index e82218ca69..452fa046f9 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/index.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,5 @@
  * @packageDocumentation
  */
 
+export * from './services';
 export * from './wiring';
-export * from './services/system/types';
-export * from './services/definitions';
diff --git a/packages/backend-next/src/index.test.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/index.ts
similarity index 69%
rename from packages/backend-next/src/index.test.ts
rename to packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/index.ts
index 8b41455b27..24336c1af2 100644
--- a/packages/backend-next/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2020 The Backstage Authors
+ * 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.
@@ -14,11 +14,4 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { PluginEnvironment } from './types';
-
-describe('test', () => {
-  it('unbreaks the test runner', () => {
-    const unbreaker = {} as PluginEnvironment;
-    expect(unbreaker).toBeTruthy();
-  });
-});
+export { loggerToWinstonLogger } from './loggerToWinstonLogger';
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/loggerToWinstonLogger.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/loggerToWinstonLogger.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..65f97db745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/helpers/loggerToWinstonLogger.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+ * 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 { Logger as BackstageLogger } from '../definitions';
+import { Logger as WinstonLogger, createLogger } from 'winston';
+import Transport, { TransportStreamOptions } from 'winston-transport';
+
+class BackstageLoggerTransport extends Transport {
+  constructor(
+    private readonly backstageLogger: BackstageLogger,
+    opts?: TransportStreamOptions,
+  ) {
+    super(opts);
+  }
+
+  log(info: { message: string }, callback: VoidFunction) {
+    // TODO: add support for levels and fields
+    this.backstageLogger.info(info.message);
+    callback();
+  }
+}
+
+export function loggerToWinstonLogger(
+  logger: BackstageLogger,
+  opts?: TransportStreamOptions,
+): WinstonLogger {
+  return createLogger({
+    transports: [new BackstageLoggerTransport(logger, opts)],
+  });
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/index.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..96bd3d320a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+export * from './definitions';
+export * from './helpers';
+export * from './system';
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/system/index.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/system/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eead2297a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/system/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/*
+ * 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.
+ */
+
+export type {
+  ServiceRef,
+  TypesToServiceRef,
+  DepsToDepFactories,
+  FactoryFunc,
+  ServiceFactory,
+  AnyServiceFactory,
+} from './types';
+export { createServiceRef, createServiceFactory } from './types';
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
index c36e28deb8..6ebcae936b 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@
     "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",
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
index fd3397612f..b82797ec8b 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-import { loggerToWinstonLogger } from '@backstage/backend-app-api';
 import {
   configServiceRef,
   createBackendPlugin,
   databaseServiceRef,
   loggerServiceRef,
+  loggerToWinstonLogger,
   permissionsServiceRef,
   urlReaderServiceRef,
   httpRouterServiceRef,