Forget Rebuilding, Install Plugins at Runtime
summary
Claim: avoid rebuilding Backstage for each plugin by loading prebuilt plugin bundles at startup using the backend dynamic feature service, the frontend dynamic feature loader and the Backstage CLI experimental bundle command. Bundles include plugin code, node_modules, metadata and a webpack/module-federation remote manifest; distribution uses crane to push bundles as OCI images and Kubernetes image volumes plus Helm mounts to expose them at runtime. Demo intermittently fails live but video shows a working flow: push OCI bundle, add volume mounts, rolling upgrade exposes plugin without rebuilding the main app.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (9)
- 0:00Dynamic plugin loading
- 1:25Traditional plugin limits
- 3:54Dynamic plugins evolution
- 6:44Runtime plugin mechanics
- 9:15Bundling plugins for dynamic load
- 9:38Live demo: plugin removal & setup
- 15:25Modular OCI deployments
- 26:27Future plans & feedback
- 27:53Q&A: config & secrets
related talks
11mBackstage Plugins Made Simple: No Rebuild Needed
26mBackstage Plugin Development: Tales from the Trenches
27mBuilding an Internal Developer Platform with Backstage Plugins
24mScaling the Stage: Managing 200+ Plugins & Thousands of Engineers
28mBuilding Open Developer Platforms with Backstage
27mIntroduction to Backstage
32mAccelerating Collaborative Plugin Development
24mHow to Grow Your Internal Backstage Community with Some Ope...