---
id: glossary
title: Backstage Glossary
# prettier-ignore
description: List of all the terms, abbreviations, and phrases used in Backstage, together with their explanations.
---

The Backstage Glossary lists all the terms, abbreviations, and phrases used in
Backstage, together with their explanations. We encourage you to use the
terminology below for clarity and consistency when discussing Backstage.

### Authentication Glossary

This [page](../auth/glossary.md) directs to the terms and phrases related to
authentication and identity section of Backstage.

### Backstage User Profiles

There are three main user profiles for Backstage: the integrator, the
contributor, and the software engineer.

| Term              | Explanation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Integrator        | The **integrator** hosts the Backstage app and configures which plugins are available to use in the app.                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Contributor       | The **contributor** adds functionality to the app by writing plugins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Software Engineer | The **software engineer** uses the app's functionality and interacts with its plugins. In practice, this profile covers the various roles that help deliver software, from the Software Engineer themselves, to Designers, Data Scientists, Product Owners, Engineering Managers, etc. |