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Prepare for success on the Certified Backstage Associate exam by understanding its format, timing, and domain breakdown. This guide covers each exam domain, the percentage weightings, and the key skills you’ll need to demonstrate.
  • Proctored online
  • 90 minutes, single-answer multiple-choice
  • No labs or terminal access required
  • Certification valid for two years

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Exam Domains and Weightings

Exam DomainWeightKey Topics
Backstage Development Workflow24%Local build & run, TypeScript compilation, NPM/Yarn, Docker image creation
Backstage Infrastructure22%Framework concepts, environment config, production deployment, client-server
Backstage Catalog22%Entity registration, annotations, ingestion pipelines, error troubleshooting
Customizing Backstage32%Plugin architecture, React customization, Material UI components

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1. Backstage Development Workflow (24%)

In this domain, you’ll demonstrate your ability to set up and iterate on a Backstage app in your local development environment.
  • Build and launch a Backstage project locally
  • Navigate the Backstage CLI and development server
  • Compile code with TypeScript and fix type errors
  • Manage dependencies using NPM and Yarn
  • Create a Dockerfile and build a container image
The image shows a pie chart and a list of tasks related to the "Backstage Development Workflow," including building projects locally and using Docker.

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2. Backstage Infrastructure (22%)

This section focuses on deploying and configuring Backstage at scale across multiple environments.
  • Understand Backstage core architecture and microservices
  • Configure app-config.yaml for development, staging, and production
  • Deploy Backstage using Docker, Kubernetes, or serverless platforms
  • Secure connections, manage secrets, and enable TLS
  • Explain the client-server communication model

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3. Backstage Catalog (22%)

Master the Backstage Catalog to inventory and manage your software components.
  • Define and register entities in catalog-info.yaml
  • Apply annotations for metadata enrichment
  • Set up and troubleshoot automated ingestion pipelines
  • Manually add entity locations and resolve ingestion errors
  • Use the Catalog API for advanced integrations

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4. Customizing Backstage (32%)

Extend and tailor Backstage to fit your organization’s needs by creating and modifying plugins.
  • Differentiate between front-end and back-end plugins
  • Scaffold a new plugin with the Backstage CLI
  • Extend existing plugins and contribute code back to the community
  • Make React component changes within your Backstage app
  • Leverage Material UI to style and enhance user interfaces
The image shows a pie chart and a list of competencies related to "Customizing Backstage," including understanding plugins, customizing plugins, making React code changes, and using Material UI components.

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