Spotify's Backstage Developer Portal Takes Center Stage
While known for music streaming, Spotify is quietly building a thriving developer tools business around its open-source project, Backstage. Launched in 2020, Backstage helps companies create customized internal developer portals (IDPs). Over two million developers across 3,400 organizations, including Airbnb, LinkedIn, and American Airlines, now use Backstage.
Backstage simplifies infrastructure management by consolidating tools, apps, data, services, APIs, and documentation into a single interface. Need to monitor Kubernetes, track cloud costs, or check CI/CD status? Backstage has you covered.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) recognized Backstage as a top-performing project in 2024, highlighting its rapid growth and community activity.
From Open Source to Premium Offerings
While the core Backstage platform and numerous open-source plugins remain free, Spotify introduced premium plugins in 2022. One example is Backstage Insights, which provides data on Backstage usage within an organization. In 2024, Spotify launched Spotify Portal for Backstage, a fully managed SaaS offering, simplifying setup and management for businesses of all sizes.
Tyson Singer, Spotify's Head of Technology and Platforms, explained the need for a hosted version, stating, "We found that small companies also experience the same infrastructure challenges as larger enterprises. A hosted version makes Backstage accessible to everyone."
Introducing AiKA: The AI Knowledge Assistant
Spotify also unveiled AiKA, an AI-powered knowledge assistant, initially developed for internal use. AiKA acts as a chatbot, answering employee queries by leveraging Spotify's internal knowledge base. This reduces reliance on support channels and encourages document maintenance.
With 25% of Spotify's workforce using AiKA weekly, its success is evident. An alpha version for external use is planned for imminent release.
Beyond Backstage: Confidence for A/B Testing
Spotify is also exploring monetization with Confidence, its A/B testing platform. While currently in limited release, Singer hinted at future integration with Backstage through a feature-flagging plugin.
Building a Sustainable Future for Backstage
Spotify's commitment to Backstage stems from a previous experience with its in-house container orchestration platform, Helios. After migrating to Kubernetes, Spotify learned the high cost of transitioning away from a core development tool. By open-sourcing and commercializing Backstage, Spotify aims to establish it as the industry standard IDP and secure its own development workflow.
Singer emphasized, "We don't want to repeat the painful migration experience. Backstage is fundamental to our development process at Spotify." By offering premium features and services, Spotify is building a sustainable business around Backstage, ensuring its long-term viability and continued development.
