diff --git a/.changeset/nice-waves-count.md b/.changeset/nice-waves-count.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..37d9a739b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/nice-waves-count.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-notifications-backend': patch
+---
+
+Remove `@backstage/backend-common` dependency
diff --git a/plugins/notifications-backend/dev/index.ts b/plugins/notifications-backend/dev/index.ts
index cee630d1ad..f1fe453457 100644
--- a/plugins/notifications-backend/dev/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/notifications-backend/dev/index.ts
@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ import {
   createBackendPlugin,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { notificationService } from '@backstage/plugin-notifications-node';
-import { errorHandler } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import {
   notificationSeverities,
   NotificationSeverity,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-notifications-common';
 import express, { Response } from 'express';
 import Router from 'express-promise-router';
+import { MiddlewareFactory } from '@backstage/backend-defaults/rootHttpRouter';
 
 const randomSeverity = (): NotificationSeverity => {
   return notificationSeverities[
@@ -77,8 +77,12 @@ const notificationsDebug = createBackendPlugin({
       deps: {
         notifications: notificationService,
         httpRouter: coreServices.httpRouter,
+        config: coreServices.rootConfig,
+        logger: coreServices.logger,
       },
-      async init({ notifications, httpRouter }) {
+      async init({ notifications, httpRouter, config, logger }) {
+        const middleware = MiddlewareFactory.create({ config, logger });
+
         const router = Router();
         router.use(express.json());
         router.post('/', async (_, res: Response<unknown>) => {
@@ -96,7 +100,7 @@ const notificationsDebug = createBackendPlugin({
           });
           res.status(200).send({ status: 'ok' });
         });
-        router.use(errorHandler());
+        router.use(middleware.error());
 
         httpRouter.use(router);
         httpRouter.addAuthPolicy({
diff --git a/plugins/notifications-backend/package.json b/plugins/notifications-backend/package.json
index 4dd2c1a655..4330d4c903 100644
--- a/plugins/notifications-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/notifications-backend/package.json
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@
     "test": "backstage-cli package test"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.25.0",
     "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/catalog-client": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "workspace:^",
diff --git a/plugins/notifications-backend/src/service/router.test.ts b/plugins/notifications-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
index 5126181c4f..e557e5818d 100644
--- a/plugins/notifications-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/notifications-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
@@ -14,16 +14,12 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import {
-  DatabaseManager,
-  PluginDatabaseManager,
-} from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import express from 'express';
 import request from 'supertest';
 import { createRouter } from './router';
-import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
 import { SignalsService } from '@backstage/plugin-signals-node';
 import {
+  TestDatabases,
   mockCredentials,
   mockErrorHandler,
   mockServices,
@@ -31,20 +27,9 @@ import {
 import { NotificationSendOptions } from '@backstage/plugin-notifications-node';
 import { catalogServiceMock } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-node/testUtils';
 
-function createDatabase(): PluginDatabaseManager {
-  return DatabaseManager.fromConfig(
-    new ConfigReader({
-      backend: {
-        database: {
-          client: 'better-sqlite3',
-          connection: ':memory:',
-        },
-      },
-    }),
-  ).forPlugin('notifications');
-}
-
 describe('createRouter', () => {
+  const databases = TestDatabases.create();
+
   let app: express.Express;
 
   const signalService: jest.Mocked<SignalsService> = {
@@ -62,9 +47,10 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
   const catalog = catalogServiceMock();
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
+    const knex = await databases.init('SQLITE_3');
     const router = await createRouter({
       logger: mockServices.logger.mock(),
-      database: createDatabase(),
+      database: { getClient: async () => knex },
       signals: signalService,
       userInfo,
       config,
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 1b9fd0a972..6df5bb4652 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -6716,7 +6716,6 @@ __metadata:
   version: 0.0.0-use.local
   resolution: "@backstage/plugin-notifications-backend@workspace:plugins/notifications-backend"
   dependencies:
-    "@backstage/backend-common": ^0.25.0
     "@backstage/backend-defaults": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/backend-test-utils": "workspace:^"