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# Backstage Software Templates for Java Developers

Stop wasting time on repetitive project scaffolding. Learn how Java developers can build, scale, and secure Backstage software templates while sidestepping the JavaScript ecosystem completely.

- **Speakers:** [Markus Eisele](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@markus-eisele)
- **Event:** World Congress 2025
- **Published:** August 20, 2025
- **Duration:** 30:00
- **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1596-backstage-software-templates-for-java-developers

## Summary

Engineering teams face constant pressure to ship faster and manage growing complexity with fewer resources. To address this, developers can leverage Backstage, a cncf-backed developer portal, to centralize information and streamline workflows. A standout feature of this ecosystem is software templates—intelligent scaffolding mechanisms that encode standard company knowledge into replicable project layouts, such as maven microservices or argocd deployment artifacts.

Building effective Backstage software templates requires navigating yaml configurations and underlying JavaScript components like nunjucks templating. For Java developers wanting to sidestep the JavaScript ecosystem locally, extensions like the quarkus Backstage integration offer an alternative local testing setup. Scaling these templates requires strict best practices: versioning templates, assigning proper metadata via tags, securing credentials during scaffolding, and embedding techdocs directly into the template lifecycle. To avoid "template drift"—where static templates inadvertently scaffold legacy applications—maintainers must treat templates as living documents that evolve alongside modern best practices.

When standard templating falls short, the portal's extensibility shines through custom template actions and workflows. Integrations like sonataflow provide robust approval mechanisms for resource provisioning directly within the scaffolding wizard. Additionally, utilizing dynamic plugins—a feature actively championed in enterprise distributions like red hat developer hub—enables teams to inject new actions and components at runtime without recompiling the complete portal. Organizations must carefully define template granularity and scope to ensure the portal effortlessly scales shared knowledge across complex enterprise environments.

**Keywords:** backstage software templates, developer portal scaffolding, java developer productivity, yaml template configuration, nunjucks templating, dynamic plugin system, red hat developer hub, quarkus backstage extension, template drift prevention, sonataflow approval workflows, argocd deployment artifacts, maven project scaffolding, techdocs integration, custom template actions, cncf developer tools

## Chapters

1. **Balancing developer productivity with modern demands** (00:05) — Why software engineers need centralized tools to handle the increasing pressure of faster delivery and reduced budgets.
1. **Streamlining team workflows with the Backstage developer portal** (02:50) — Utilizing Backstage as a centralized developer workbench to streamline team workflows and access open-source functionalities.
1. **Understanding Backstage architecture and plugin proxy components** (06:43) — How frontend and backend plugins interact with proxy systems to form a customized internal portal.
1. **Scaffolding Java projects with software templates** (08:52) — Defining standardized company knowledge as YAML configurations to instantly generate customized projects in code repositories.
1. **Extending templates using custom workflow actions** (11:26) — Leveraging hidden endpoints and backend plugins to discover and trigger complex routines during scaffolding workflows.
1. **Running Backstage locally without JavaScript configurations** (12:54) — Exploring local container images, helm charts, and Quarkus extensions to bypass complex node environments completely.
1. **Debugging YAML templates with the online portal editor** (15:02) — Utilizing the built-in template editor and debug tools to iteratively fix syntax errors and validate logic.
1. **Defining custom UI inputs and Nunjucks components** (16:25) — Leveraging Nunjucks to build custom entities and user input forms extending beyond basic template behaviors.
1. **Best practices for structuring and versioning template definitions** (17:53) — Structuring template configurations and safely updating parameters through automated pull requests for organized evolution.
1. **Enhancing discoverability with template tags and documentation** (20:38) — Applying metadata tags and embedding TechDocs directly into project definition templates to ensure proper team reuse.
1. **Finding existing community template actions and examples** (21:34) — Searching curated community repositories to leverage pre-built actions and configurations instead of recreating complex routines from scratch.
1. **Building custom backend plugins using JavaScript hooks** (22:15) — Evaluating the technical implications of writing native JavaScript components when existing community plugins are insufficient.
1. **Preventing template drift across generated legacy applications** (23:16) — Updating foundational scaffolding definitions continuously so generated downstream applications remain aligned with unified code standards.
1. **Integrating automated approval workflows into the portal** (24:38) — Using workflow engines to gate database provisioning and infrastructure approval steps within the project portal directly.
1. **Defining template scope and automation deployment strategy** (25:34) — Deciding the exact flexibility levels of software layouts to match either infrastructure provisioning or rigid microservices.
1. **Accessing safe hands-on learning resources and sandboxes** (26:27) — Accessing online hosted environments and guided coding tutorials to safely practice building complete portal modules.
1. **Running the Backstage API through Quarkus integrations** (27:13) — Treating the catalog infrastructure as an API service natively integrated with local Java runtime dependencies.
1. **Extending portal functionality safely via dynamic plugins** (28:01) — Packaging application customizations as independent container images to streamline deployments and avoid complex global framework rebuilds.
1. **Scaling platform engineering adoption across organizational boundaries** (29:02) — Evaluating internal capability bottlenecks to ensure widespread platform usage scales smoothly for huge organizational engineering populations.

## Related Moments

- [Core features of the Backstage development framework](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1922-backstage-in-practice-offloading-developer-operational-work-through-platform-self-service) (from "Backstage in Practice: Offloading Developer Operational Work Through Platform Self-Service")
- [Automating workflows with Backstage software templates](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1922-backstage-in-practice-offloading-developer-operational-work-through-platform-self-service) (from "Backstage in Practice: Offloading Developer Operational Work Through Platform Self-Service")
- [Distributing multi-agent templates via Backstage internal developer portals](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1604-supercharge-agentic-ai-apps-a-devex-driven-approach-to-cloud-native-scaffolding) (from "Supercharge Agentic AI Apps: A DevEx-Driven Approach to Cloud-Native Scaffolding")
- [Adopting backstage for enterprise developer platform construction](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1039-the-internal-developer-platform-and-golden-paths-scaffolding-for-cloud-native-development) (from "The internal developer platform and golden paths: Scaffolding for cloud-native development")
- [The essential sections of a Backstage software template](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1922-backstage-in-practice-offloading-developer-operational-work-through-platform-self-service) (from "Backstage in Practice: Offloading Developer Operational Work Through Platform Self-Service")
- [Introduction to Backstage and platform self-service](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1922-backstage-in-practice-offloading-developer-operational-work-through-platform-self-service) (from "Backstage in Practice: Offloading Developer Operational Work Through Platform Self-Service")

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