Why a Hosted Developer Portal is the Fastest Way to Realise Value

Backstage.io, an on-premise open-source framework originally developed by Spotify, is one such developer portal solution, providing a centralised software catalogue for managing software components, templates, and documentation. While it offers extensive flexibility and customisation, these features come with their own complexities. Opting for a self-hosted instance of Backstage then requires infrastructure management, handling upgrades, ensuring plugin compatibility, security certification, compliance, licensing and overseeing the scaling of the platform as the organisation grows. Ultimately, handling a self-hosted instance of Backstage will require an internal team to oversee the production and maintenance of the portal that the rest of your developers use. This is not only expensive, but could even create friction between the teams. And, let’s be honest, it’s unlikely your company's core competency is not focused on building, deploying and supporting IDPs.

However, an alternative exists! This article will introduce a hosted Backstage approach as a fast-track, low-maintenance option for deploying an IDP. We will discuss how, with Venue.sh, you can be up and running in 30 minutes, leveraging the advantages of Backstage without writing a single line of code.

While there are definite advantages to self-hosting your IDP, for some, they will be eclipsed by the benefits of a hosted instance. Here are the main ones that might tip the balance.

Not to hammer the point, but a managed instance takes away all of the responsibility for hosting, security and support, and will often provide pre-built integrations and customisations.

Electing to go for a hosted solution reduces the time and specialised skills required for managing Backstage, which in turn lets DevOps and platform engineering teams focus on core development activities.

Outsourcing the operational aspect of your IDP lets businesses achieve faster implementation. This means your team can be collaborating together sooner, in turn resulting in higher quality software, and better visibility for operation managers. Venue.sh makes this process even easier with YAML templates to quickly create consistent project environments, and a catalog that makes software visibility a breeze.

Venue.sh makes onboarding as easy as possible, with clear documentation and support access. This means you can have staff up and running in less time, which in turn reduces time-to-value. Similarly, providers will have already considered scalability, and will have made adding team members, or additional resource provision, easy to deploy.

Rather than simply maintaining the infrastructure, there is a prioritisation on building golden paths and refining the Developer Experience (DX). Hosted Backstage offers a array of advantages such as Service Level Agreement (SLA)-backed hosting.

Venue.sh provides a compelling alternative for organisations eager to enjoy the capabilities of an IDP that is powered by backstage technologies, without the hassle of self-hosting. By opting for Venue.sh, companies can access a fully managed offering that simplifies the deployment and maintenance of developer portals, allowing teams to concentrate on delivering value.

Venue.sh has a user-friendly interface that significantly reduces both setup time and complexity, making it easier for teams to embrace a centralised platform without facing a daunting learning curve. This ensures that your developers can quickly start reaping the benefits of a streamlined workflow.

There’s a priority on seamless collaboration among development teams through features like a dedicated dashboard, Git connection management, an internal software catalog, plugins, integrations, and support for unlimited users.

One of the great benefits of DevOps is the improved visibility and insights between teams, and Venue.sh has built-in support for all manner of metrics. Furthermore, the platform will soon provide cloud cost reporting, which aids in better management and understanding of cloud expenses, ensuring that your organisation remains cost-efficient while maximising productivity. Teams can easily manage access to the tools they require independently, reducing management overhead and unnecessary delays.

Venue.sh offers a frictionless approach to adopting a IDP by delivering a fully managed, user-friendly, and feature-rich hosted experience, created with Backstage technologies. This allows your organisation to swiftly unlock the benefits of Backstage without the setup management overhead, empowering your teams to be more efficient, collaborative, and innovative.

To discover how Venue.sh can revolutionise your software development lifecycle and provide a seamless standalone IDP experience, enabling your teams to focus on innovation and collaboration, experience a self-directed demo at www.venue.sh/welcome