Gateway Backend Plugin

A plugin for managing request routing in distributed Backstage deployments.

Overview

This plugin is designed for organizations that have split their backend plugins across multiple Backstage deployments and implemented a custom Discovery service to resolve backend plugin URLs.

While a custom discovery service handles routing between backend plugins, it doesn't address frontend-to-backend routing without either:

Hardcoding URLs in the frontend
Implementing a custom reverse proxy

The Gateway Backend Plugin solves this by providing a centralized routing solution in a dedicated "gateway" Backstage deployment. It routes frontend requests to the appropriate backend plugins using the Discovery service, while prioritizing local plugins when available.

Installation

Install the plugin package:

# From your root directory
yarn --cwd packages/backend add @backstage/plugin-gateway-backend

Add the plugin to your backend in packages/backend/src/index.ts:

  const backend = createBackend();
  // ...
+ backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-gateway-backend'));

Configure the baseUrl in your app-config.yaml to point to your gateway deployment:

backend:
  # The baseUrl of your gateway Backstage deployment
  baseUrl: http://gateway-backstage-backend.example.com