diff --git a/.changeset/cuddly-snakes-kick.md b/.changeset/cuddly-snakes-kick.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1a6def9249
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/cuddly-snakes-kick.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+New backend plugins with cli are now created using the new backend system
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/backendPlugin.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/backendPlugin.test.ts
index 5c1d496e49..c5930592a3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/backendPlugin.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/backendPlugin.test.ts
@@ -79,13 +79,13 @@ describe('backendPlugin factory', () => {
       'Executing Template:',
       'copying       .eslintrc.js',
       'templating    README.md.hbs',
+      'templating    index.ts.hbs',
       'templating    package.json.hbs',
       'copying       index.ts',
-      'templating    run.ts.hbs',
       'copying       setupTests.ts',
       'copying       router.test.ts',
       'copying       router.ts',
-      'templating    standaloneServer.ts.hbs',
+      'templating    plugin.ts.hbs',
       'Installing:',
       `moving        plugins${sep}test-backend`,
       'backend       adding dependency',
@@ -98,15 +98,6 @@ describe('backendPlugin factory', () => {
         'backstage-plugin-test-backend': '^1.0.0',
       },
     });
-    const standaloneServerFile = await fs.readFile(
-      mockDir.resolve('plugins/test-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts'),
-      'utf-8',
-    );
-
-    expect(standaloneServerFile).toContain(
-      `const logger = options.logger.child({ service: 'test-backend' });`,
-    );
-    expect(standaloneServerFile).toContain(`.addRouter('/test', router);`);
 
     expect(Task.forCommand).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(Task.forCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith('yarn install', {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/version.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/version.ts
index 9c19a3a8c4..baf0e945e6 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/version.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/version.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import { paths } from './paths';
 import { Lockfile } from './versioning';
 
 /* eslint-disable @backstage/no-relative-monorepo-imports */
-
 /*
 This is a list of all packages used by the templates. If dependencies are added or removed,
 this list should be updated as well.
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@ This does not create an actual dependency on these packages and does not bring i
 Rollup will extract the value of the version field in each package at build time without
 leaving any imports in place.
 */
-
 import { version as backendCommon } from '../../../../packages/backend-common/package.json';
 import { version as backendPluginApi } from '../../../../packages/backend-plugin-api/package.json';
 import { version as backendTestUtils } from '../../../../packages/backend-test-utils/package.json';
@@ -46,9 +44,11 @@ import { version as devUtils } from '../../../../packages/dev-utils/package.json
 import { version as testUtils } from '../../../../packages/test-utils/package.json';
 import { version as scaffolderNode } from '../../../../plugins/scaffolder-node/package.json';
 import { version as theme } from '../../../../packages/theme/package.json';
+import { version as backendDefaults } from '../../../../packages/backend-defaults/package.json';
 
 export const packageVersions: Record<string, string> = {
   '@backstage/backend-common': backendCommon,
+  '@backstage/backend-defaults': backendDefaults,
   '@backstage/backend-plugin-api': backendPluginApi,
   '@backstage/backend-test-utils': backendTestUtils,
   '@backstage/cli': cli,
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/dev/index.ts b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/dev/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d74c82508
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/dev/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { createBackend } from '@backstage/backend-defaults';
+
+const backend = createBackend();
+
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-auth-backend'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-auth-backend-module-guest-provider'));
+backend.add(import('../src'));
+
+backend.start();
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/package.json.hbs b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/package.json.hbs
index 2b860260ac..cbf41b80a8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/package.json.hbs
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/package.json.hbs
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-common": "{{versionQuery '@backstage/backend-common'}}",
+    "@backstage/backend-defaults": "{{versionQuery '@backstage/backend-defaults'}}",
+    "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": "{{versionQuery '@backstage/backend-plugin-api'}}",
     "@backstage/config": "{{versionQuery '@backstage/config'}}",
     "@types/express": "{{versionQuery '@types/express' '4.17.6'}}",
     "express": "{{versionQuery 'express' '4.17.1'}}",
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 47af95cb35..0000000000
--- a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-export * from './service/router';
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts.hbs b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c04b266c28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/index.ts.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export * from './service/router';
+export { {{pluginVar}} as default } from './plugin';
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/plugin.ts.hbs b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/plugin.ts.hbs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cdc30b561b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/plugin.ts.hbs
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import {
+  coreServices,
+  createBackendPlugin,
+} from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { createRouter } from './service/router';
+
+/**
+ * {{pluginVar}} backend plugin
+ *
+ * @public
+ */
+export const {{pluginVar}} = createBackendPlugin({
+  pluginId: '{{pluginVar}}',
+  register(env) {
+    env.registerInit({
+      deps: {
+        httpRouter: coreServices.httpRouter,
+        logger: coreServices.logger,
+      },
+      async init({
+        httpRouter,
+        logger,
+      }) {
+        httpRouter.use(
+          await createRouter({
+            logger,
+          }),
+        );
+      },
+    });
+  },
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/run.ts.hbs b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/run.ts.hbs
deleted file mode 100644
index 79c6bd6da8..0000000000
--- a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/run.ts.hbs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-import { getRootLogger } from '@backstage/backend-common';
-import yn from 'yn';
-import { startStandaloneServer } from './service/standaloneServer';
-
-const port = process.env.PLUGIN_PORT ? Number(process.env.PLUGIN_PORT) : 7007;
-const enableCors = yn(process.env.PLUGIN_CORS, { default: false });
-const logger = getRootLogger();
-
-startStandaloneServer({ port, enableCors, logger }).catch(err => {
-  logger.error(err);
-  process.exit(1);
-});
-
-process.on('SIGINT', () => {
-  logger.info('CTRL+C pressed; exiting.');
-  process.exit(0);
-});
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/router.ts b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/router.ts
index c15bac5892..ff7134e59d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/router.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import { errorHandler } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { LoggerService } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import express from 'express';
 import Router from 'express-promise-router';
-import { Logger } from 'winston';
 
 export interface RouterOptions {
-  logger: Logger;
+  logger: LoggerService;
 }
 
 export async function createRouter(
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export async function createRouter(
     logger.info('PONG!');
     response.json({ status: 'ok' });
   });
+
   router.use(errorHandler());
   return router;
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/standaloneServer.ts.hbs b/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/standaloneServer.ts.hbs
deleted file mode 100644
index 3433ed22ce..0000000000
--- a/packages/cli/templates/default-backend-plugin/src/service/standaloneServer.ts.hbs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-import { createServiceBuilder } from '@backstage/backend-common';
-import { Server } from 'http';
-import { Logger } from 'winston';
-import { createRouter } from './router';
-
-export interface ServerOptions {
-  port: number;
-  enableCors: boolean;
-  logger: Logger;
-}
-
-export async function startStandaloneServer(
-  options: ServerOptions,
-): Promise<Server> {
-  const logger = options.logger.child({ service: '{{id}}-backend' });
-  logger.debug('Starting application server...');
-  const router = await createRouter({
-    logger,
-  });
-
-  let service = createServiceBuilder(module)
-    .setPort(options.port)
-    .addRouter('/{{id}}', router);
-  if (options.enableCors) {
-    service = service.enableCors({ origin: 'http://localhost:3000' });
-  }
-
-  return await service.start().catch(err => {
-    logger.error(err);
-    process.exit(1);
-  });
-}
-
-module.hot?.accept();