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DevEx Backstage Platform

Welcome to the DevEx Backstage Platform documentation. This is a comprehensive developer experience solution built on Backstage by Telus Digital, deployed on Google Cloud Platform.

What is DevEx Backstage?​

DevEx Backstage is an internal developer portal that provides:

  • Service Catalog - Centralized view of all services, APIs, and resources
  • Scaffolder - Template-based project creation
  • TechDocs - Integrated documentation
  • Custom Plugins - GCP, GitHub, Vault, and AI integrations

Quick Start​

Prerequisites​

  • Node.js 20+ (22 recommended)
  • Yarn 4.4.1
  • Docker (for claude-flow)
  • gcloud CLI (for GCP operations)

Local Development​

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/badal-io/repo-devex-backstage.git
cd repo-devex-backstage

# Start Backstage
cd backstage
yarn install
yarn dev

# Frontend: http://localhost:3001
# Backend:  http://localhost:7007

Documentation​

# Start documentation site
cd docs
npm install
npm run start

# Docs: http://localhost:3000

Repository Structure​

repo-devex-backstage/
├── backstage/          # Main Backstage application
│   ├── packages/       # Frontend and backend
│   └── plugins/        # 13 custom plugins
├── terraform/          # Infrastructure as Code
│   ├── common/         # Shared modules
│   ├── non-production/ # Non-prod environment
│   └── production/     # Production environment
├── .github/workflows/  # CI/CD pipelines
├── docs/               # This documentation
└── scripts/            # Utility scripts

Documentation Sections​

SectionDescription
WalkthroughsStep-by-step guides for portal usage, creating BUs, and tenants
ArchitectureSystem design and component diagrams
InfrastructureTerraform and GCP resources
GitHub WorkflowsCI/CD pipeline documentation
BackstageApplication and plugins
ScriptsUtility script reference

Key Features​

Custom Plugins​

  • Homepage Links - Customizable dashboard with GCP and GitHub integration
  • Claude Flow - AI-assisted development environment
  • Vault Secrets - HashiCorp Vault secret management
  • Terraform Cloud - Workspace visualization
  • Mockup - UI prototyping canvas

Infrastructure​

  • Cloud Run - Containerized deployment
  • Cloud SQL - PostgreSQL 15 database
  • HashiCorp Vault - Secrets management
  • Artifact Registry - Docker image storage
  • ARM64 Runners - GitHub Actions self-hosted runners

CI/CD​

  • Semantic Versioning - Automatic version calculation
  • Terraform Cloud - Infrastructure provisioning
  • Workload Identity - Keyless GCP authentication

Getting Help​

  • Documentation Issues: Open an issue in the repository
  • Backstage Community: backstage.io/community
  • Internal Support: Contact the Platform Team

Contributing​

See CLAUDE.md for development guidelines.