Section Introduction

In this lesson we’ll focus on two closely related goals: customizing the Backstage user interface and adding new functionality with Backstage plugins. Together these capabilities let you tailor the developer portal’s look-and-feel to your brand and extend it with custom or third-party features that improve developer experience. What you’ll learn:

An overview of the Backstage Design System and layout primitives for building consistent interfaces.
How to change and configure color themes to align Backstage with your organization’s brand.
How to install and integrate third‑party plugins from the community or vendors.
How to scaffold, develop, and register your own plugins to introduce new capabilities.

Topic	What you’ll learn	Why it matters
Backstage Design System	Core UI components, layout primitives, and accessibility considerations	Build consistent, accessible pages and components faster
Changing the color theme	Theme configuration, color overrides, and dark/light modes	Match the portal to your brand and improve visual coherence
Adding third‑party plugins	Installation, configuration, and integration patterns	Reuse community features and extend Backstage quickly
Creating custom plugins	Scaffolding, backend/frontend wiring, and registration	Add bespoke features tailored to your organization’s workflows

Before you begin, ensure you have a working local Backstage app (the App template or an existing instance). Familiarity with React, TypeScript, and basic plugin structure will make following the examples easier. If you need setup help, the Backstage docs include quickstart and local development guides.

Links and references

Backstage official site: https://backstage.io/
Backstage Design System: https://backstage.io/docs/design-system/
Theming and customization: https://backstage.io/docs/features/theming/overview
Plugin development guide: https://backstage.io/docs/plugins/overview
Community plugins catalog: https://backstage.io/plugins/overview

Introduction

Backstage Basics

Catalog

Templates

TechDocs & Search

Customization & Plugins

Production Backstage

Section Introduction

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