App Frontend System Migration

App Frontend System Migration Skill

This skill helps migrate a Backstage app package (packages/app) from the old frontend system (@backstage/app-defaults) to the new extension-based frontend system (@backstage/frontend-defaults).

The migration follows a two-phase approach: first get the app running in hybrid mode with compatibility helpers, then gradually remove legacy code until the app is fully on the new system.

Key Concepts

• Old system: createApp from @backstage/app-defaults, plugins installed via <Route> elements in FlatRoutes, manual app shell with AppRouter + Root
• New system: createApp from @backstage/frontend-defaults, plugins installed as features, extensions wired into an extension tree, no manual app shell
• Feature discovery: The new system can automatically discover and install plugins from your app's dependencies — no manual imports needed. This is the default for new apps and should be enabled early in migration.
• Hybrid mode: The new createApp with convertLegacyAppRoot and convertLegacyAppOptions from @backstage/core-compat-api to bridge old code

Feature Discovery

Feature discovery is one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements in the new frontend system. Once enabled, any plugin added as a package.json dependency that exports a new-system plugin is automatically detected and installed — no code changes in App.tsx needed.

Enabling Feature Discovery

Add this to your app-config.yaml:

app:
  packages: all

This is the recommended default for all apps using the new frontend system. Enable it as early as Phase 1.

Filtering Discovered Packages

You can control which packages are discovered using include or exclude filters:

# Only discover specific packages
app:
  packages:
    include:
      - '@backstage/plugin-catalog'
      - '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder'

# Discover all except specific packages
app:
  packages:
    exclude:
      - '@backstage/plugin-techdocs'

Disabling Individual Extensions

Even with feature discovery enabled, you can disable specific extensions via config without removing the package:

app:
  extensions:
    - page:techdocs: false
    - page:search: false

How Discovery Works with Manual Imports

Plugins that are both manually imported in features and auto-discovered are deduplicated — no conflicts. This means you can safely enable discovery while still explicitly importing plugins that need customization via .withOverrides().

When NOT to Use Discovery

Omit app.packages from config entirely (not app.packages: none — just leave it out) to disable discovery. You might do this if:

• You need full control over which plugins are loaded
• You're in early Phase 1 and want to introduce features one at a time
• You're running in an environment where the @backstage/cli webpack integration isn't available

Feature discovery requires that the app is built using @backstage/cli, which is the default for all Backstage apps.

Phase 1: Minimal Hybrid Migration

Step 1: Switch createApp

Replace the import source for createApp:

// OLD
import { createApp } from '@backstage/app-defaults';

// NEW
import { createApp } from '@backstage/frontend-defaults';

Step 2: Convert createApp options

Use convertLegacyAppOptions to wrap legacy options (apis, icons, featureFlags, components, themes) as a feature:

import { createApp } from '@backstage/frontend-defaults';
import { convertLegacyAppOptions } from '@backstage/core-compat-api';

const convertedOptionsModule = convertLegacyAppOptions({
  apis,
  icons: { alert: AlarmIcon },
  featureFlags: [
    {
      name: 'scaffolder-next-preview',
      description: 'Preview the new Scaffolder Next',
      pluginId: '',
    },
  ],
  components: {
    SignInPage: props => (
      <SignInPage
        {...props}
        providers={['guest', 'custom', ...providers]}
        title="Select a sign-in method"
        align="center"
      />
    ),
  },
});

const app = createApp({
  features: [convertedOptionsModule],
});

Step 3: Convert the app root

Use convertLegacyAppRoot to convert the entire app element tree (routes, sidebar, root elements) into features:

import { convertLegacyAppRoot } from '@backstage/core-compat-api';

const convertedRootFeatures = convertLegacyAppRoot(
  <>
    <AlertDisplay transientTimeoutMs={2500} />
    <OAuthRequestDialog />
    <AppRouter>
      <VisitListener />
      <Root>{routes}</Root>
    </AppRouter>
  </>,
);

const app = createApp({
  features: [convertedOptionsModule, ...convertedRootFeatures],
});

export default app.createRoot();

Note: app.createRoot() now takes no arguments and returns a React element (not a component).

Step 4: Update index.tsx

The default export is now an element, not a component:

// OLD
import App from './App';
ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(<App />);

// NEW
import app from './App';
ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(app);

Step 5: Update App.test.tsx

Same change for the test file:

import app from './App';

const rendered = render(app);

Phase 2: Full Migration

Once the app works in hybrid mode, gradually remove legacy code and compatibility helpers.

Migrating createApp Options

Legacy options become extensions. App-level extensions (themes, icons, sign-in page, translations) must be installed via createFrontendModule targeting pluginId: 'app':

import { createFrontendModule } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

const app = createApp({
  features: [
    createFrontendModule({
      pluginId: 'app',
      extensions: [
        lightTheme,
        signInPage,
        exampleIconBundle,
        catalogTranslations,
      ],
    }),
  ],
});

APIs → ApiBlueprint

In the new system, APIs are extensions that follow ownership rules. Understanding which pluginId to use when wrapping an API in a createFrontendModule is critical — using the wrong one will cause conflict errors at runtime.

Ownership rules:

• Each API has an owner plugin. This can be set explicitly via pluginId on the ApiRef, or inferred from the ApiRef ID string:
  • Explicit pluginId on the ref (recommended) → that plugin owns it
  • core.* ID → owned by the app plugin
  • plugin.<pluginId>.* ID → owned by that plugin (e.g. plugin.catalog.starred-entities is owned by catalog)
  • Other ID prefixes → the prefix itself is the owner
• Only modules for the owning plugin can provide or override an API. If plugin A tries to provide an API owned by plugin B, the system reports an API_FACTORY_CONFLICT error and rejects the override.
• Modules for the same plugin override the plugin's own factory. This is how apps replace default implementations.

The recommended way to create API refs in the new system uses the builder pattern with an explicit pluginId:

import { createApiRef } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

// Recommended: explicit pluginId makes ownership unambiguous
const myApiRef = createApiRef<MyApi>().with({
  id: 'plugin.my-plugin.my-api',
  pluginId: 'my-plugin',
});

// Legacy form: ownership inferred from the id string pattern
const legacyRef = createApiRef<MyApi>({ id: 'plugin.my-plugin.my-api' });

The builder form (createApiRef<T>().with(...)) is preferred because the pluginId is explicit rather than parsed from the ID string. The id must still be globally unique across the app — the pluginId is ownership metadata, not a namespace prefix.

Practical impact for app migration:

Most APIs that were in the old createApp({ apis: [...] }) are either core APIs (owned by app) or plugin-specific APIs. You need to group them into the right modules:

import { createFrontendModule, ApiBlueprint } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

// Core/app-level APIs → module for 'app'
const appApisModule = createFrontendModule({
  pluginId: 'app',
  extensions: [
    ApiBlueprint.make({
      name: 'scm-integrations',
      params: defineParams =>
        defineParams({
          api: scmIntegrationsApiRef,
          deps: { configApi: configApiRef },
          factory: ({ configApi }) => ScmIntegrationsApi.fromConfig(configApi),
        }),
    }),
  ],
});

// Overriding a plugin's API → module for THAT plugin
const catalogApiOverride = createFrontendModule({
  pluginId: 'catalog',
  extensions: [
    ApiBlueprint.make({
      params: defineParams =>
        defineParams({
          api: catalogApiRef,  // id: 'plugin.catalog'
          deps: { ... },
          factory: ({ ... }) => new CustomCatalogClient({ ... }),
        }),
    }),
  ],
});

const app = createApp({
  features: [appApisModule, catalogApiOverride],
});

Common mistake: Putting all API overrides in a single createFrontendModule({ pluginId: 'app' }). This only works for APIs owned by app (i.e. core.* APIs like core.config, core.discovery, etc.). Plugin-specific APIs like plugin.catalog.* or plugin.scaffolder.* must be overridden using a module with the matching pluginId.

The old createApp({ apis: [...] }) pattern didn't have these restrictions — any API could be overridden from the app. In the new system, the ownership model is stricter to prevent accidental conflicts between plugins.

Sign-in Page → SignInPageBlueprint

import { SignInPageBlueprint } from '@backstage/plugin-app-react';

const signInPage = SignInPageBlueprint.make({
  params: {
    loader: async () => props =>
      (
        <SignInPage
          {...props}
          provider={{
            id: 'github-auth-provider',
            title: 'GitHub',
            message: 'Sign in using GitHub',
            apiRef: githubAuthApiRef,
          }}
        />
      ),
  },
});

Themes → ThemeBlueprint

import { ThemeBlueprint } from '@backstage/plugin-app-react';

const customLightTheme = ThemeBlueprint.make({
  name: 'custom-light',
  params: {
    theme: {
      id: 'custom-light',
      title: 'Light Theme',
      variant: 'light',
      icon: <LightIcon />,
      Provider: ({ children }) => (
        <UnifiedThemeProvider theme={customLightTheme} children={children} />
      ),
    },
  },
});

Icons → IconBundleBlueprint

Icon bundles attach to the app plugin's icons input, so they must be installed via a module for app:

import { IconBundleBlueprint } from '@backstage/plugin-app-react';
import { createFrontendModule } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

const exampleIconBundle = IconBundleBlueprint.make({
  name: 'example-bundle',
  params: {
    icons: { user: MyOwnUserIcon },
  },
});

const app = createApp({
  features: [
    createFrontendModule({
      pluginId: 'app',
      extensions: [exampleIconBundle],
    }),
  ],
});

Translations → TranslationBlueprint

Translations attach to the app plugin's translations input. Note that createTranslationMessages takes a messages object with key-value pairs:

import { TranslationBlueprint } from '@backstage/plugin-app-react';
import { createTranslationMessages } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
import { catalogTranslationRef } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog/alpha';

const catalogTranslations = TranslationBlueprint.make({
  name: 'catalog-overrides',
  params: {
    resource: createTranslationMessages({
      ref: catalogTranslationRef,
      messages: {
        'indexPage.title': 'Service directory',
        'indexPage.createButtonTitle': 'Register new service',
      },
    }),
  },
});

const app = createApp({
  features: [
    createFrontendModule({
      pluginId: 'app',
      extensions: [catalogTranslations],
    }),
  ],
});

For adding full language translations, use createTranslationResource instead:

import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

const userSettingsTranslations = TranslationBlueprint.make({
  name: 'user-settings-zh',
  params: {
    resource: createTranslationResource({
      ref: userSettingsTranslationRef,
      translations: {
        zh: () => import('./userSettings-zh'),
      },
    }),
  },
});

Migrating Root Elements

Built-in elements like AlertDisplay, OAuthRequestDialog, and VisitListener are provided by the framework automatically. Remove them from convertLegacyAppRoot:

// Before
const convertedRootFeatures = convertLegacyAppRoot(
  <>
    <AlertDisplay transientTimeoutMs={2500} />
    <OAuthRequestDialog />
    <AppRouter>
      <VisitListener />
      <Root>{routes}</Root>
    </AppRouter>
  </>,
);

// After
const convertedRootFeatures = convertLegacyAppRoot(routes);

Custom root elements use AppRootElementBlueprint, and custom wrappers use AppRootWrapperBlueprint from @backstage/plugin-app-react.

Migrating the Sidebar

Create a NavContentBlueprint extension to replace the legacy Root component:

import { NavContentBlueprint } from '@backstage/plugin-app-react';
import { createFrontendModule } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';

const SidebarContent = NavContentBlueprint.make({
  params: {
    component: ({ navItems }) => {
      const nav = navItems.withComponent(item => (
        <SidebarItem icon={() => item.icon} to={item.href} text={item.title} />
      ));

      return (
        <Sidebar>
          <SidebarLogo />
          <SidebarGroup label="Search" icon={<SearchIcon />} to="/search">
            <SidebarSearchModal />
          </SidebarGroup>
          <SidebarDivider />
          <SidebarGroup label="Menu" icon={<MenuIcon />}>
            {nav.take('page:catalog')}
            {nav.take('page:scaffolder')}
            <SidebarDivider />
            <SidebarScrollWrapper>
              {nav.rest({ sortBy: 'title' })}
            </SidebarScrollWrapper>
          </SidebarGroup>
        </Sidebar>
      );
    },
  },
});

export const navModule = createFrontendModule({
  pluginId: 'app',
  extensions: [SidebarContent],
});

Nav items are auto-discovered from page extensions. Use nav.take('page:<pluginId>') to place specific items, and nav.rest() for the remainder. Items that are taken are excluded from rest().

Migrating Routes

Remove routes from FlatRoutes one at a time. With feature discovery enabled (the recommended default), this is the only step needed — the new plugin version is already discovered and waiting; it was simply overridden by the legacy route which had higher priority:

// BEFORE: plugin page as a legacy route
const routes = (
  <FlatRoutes>
    <Route path="/create" element={<ScaffolderPage />} />
    <Route path="/catalog" element={<CatalogIndexPage />} />
  </FlatRoutes>
);

// AFTER: just remove the route — discovery handles the rest
const routes = (
  <FlatRoutes>
    <Route path="/catalog" element={<CatalogIndexPage />} />
  </FlatRoutes>
);

If you are not using feature discovery, you need to manually import and install the new plugin version:

import scaffolderPlugin from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder/alpha';

const app = createApp({
  features: [scaffolderPlugin, ...convertedRootFeatures],
});

All-at-once rule for plugin routes

Only one version of a plugin can be active in the app at a time. When legacy routes remain in FlatRoutes, convertLegacyAppRoot creates a plugin from them using the same plugin ID as the real plugin. This shadow plugin overrides the new-system version entirely. Because of this:

• All routes from a single plugin must be removed at the same time. You cannot migrate one route of a multi-route plugin while keeping others in FlatRoutes. For example, if a plugin provides both /foo and /foo/settings, you must remove both routes together.
• Entity page content counts as part of the plugin. Many plugins contribute both a top-level route (in FlatRoutes) and entity page cards/content (in the entity pages). These are all part of the same plugin. If you remove the route from FlatRoutes but keep the entity page card as JSX in your entity pages, the old entity card JSX is now orphaned — and the new plugin may auto-provide its own version of that card, leading to duplicates or missing content.

The practical consequence: when you migrate a plugin, remove all of its legacy touchpoints — routes and entity page extensions — at the same time.

Migrating Entity Pages

Entity pages are typically the most complex part of the migration because they pull in content from many different plugins. The entityPage option in convertLegacyAppRoot provides a way to migrate them gradually.

Setting up gradual entity page migration

Pass your entity pages to convertLegacyAppRoot:

const convertedRootFeatures = convertLegacyAppRoot(routes, { entityPage });

This converts your legacy entity page JSX tree into extensions. The structural pieces (EntityLayout, EntitySwitch) are preserved, while entity cards and content are converted into extensions that live alongside any auto-discovered new-system cards.

Migrating the catalog plugin itself

The catalog plugin is special because it owns both the /catalog route and the entity page route (/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name). You must migrate both together:

1. Remove the catalog routes from FlatRoutes:

const routes = (
  <FlatRoutes>
    {/* Remove both catalog routes */}
    {/* <Route path="/catalog" element={<CatalogIndexPage />} /> */}
    {/* <Route path="/catalog/:namespace/:kind/:name" element={<CatalogEntityPage />}> */}
    {/*   {entityPage} */}
    {/* </Route> */}
    <Route path="/create" element={<ScaffolderPage />} />
  </FlatRoutes>
);

2. Install the catalog plugin explicitly (before the converted features so it takes priority):

import catalogPlugin from '@backstage/plugin-catalog/alpha';

const app = createApp({
  features: [catalogPlugin, convertedOptionsModule, ...convertedRootFeatures],
});

3. Pass entityPage to convertLegacyAppRoot (if not already done) so your existing entity page layout is preserved.

Migrating individual plugins out of entity pages

Once the catalog plugin itself is migrated, you can gradually remove legacy entity content from the entity pages. For each plugin that provides entity cards or content:

1. Remove the legacy JSX from your entity page components (e.g. remove <EntityAboutCard />, <EntityTechdocsContent />, <EntityKubernetesContent />)
2. The new-system plugin auto-provides these as EntityCardBlueprint / EntityContentBlueprint extensions that are discovered automatically

If you see duplicate cards after removing routes but before removing entity page JSX, that's expected — the new plugin is auto-providing cards while the legacy JSX still renders them. Remove the legacy JSX to resolve the duplication.

Migrating entity page tabs

Tabs in entity pages (the EntityLayout.Route entries) are provided by EntityContentBlueprint extensions in the new system. As you remove legacy entity content JSX, the tabs are automatically sourced from the new-system extensions. The order and grouping of tabs can be configured via app-config.yaml:

app:
  extensions:
    - page:catalog/entity:
        config:
          groups:
            - overview:
                title: Overview
            - documentation:
                title: Docs

When is it done?

Once all plugins contributing to entity pages have been migrated, the entityPage option can be removed from convertLegacyAppRoot, and the entity page component files in packages/app/src/components/catalog/ can be deleted.

Migrating Route Bindings

In the new system, plugins should define defaultTarget on their external route refs (e.g. createExternalRouteRef({ defaultTarget: 'scaffolder.root' })). When plugins set sensible defaults, most bindRoutes calls in the app become unnecessary — the routes resolve automatically when the target plugin is installed.

Review your existing bindRoutes configuration and remove any bindings that are already covered by default targets in the plugins. For the remaining cases that need custom bindings, you can still use bindRoutes or configure them via static config:

# app-config.yaml
app:
  routes:
    bindings:
      catalog.createComponent: scaffolder.root

Dependencies

Migration Checklist

Phase 1 (Hybrid)

1. Add @backstage/frontend-defaults and @backstage/core-compat-api dependencies
2. Switch createApp import to @backstage/frontend-defaults
3. Enable feature discovery: add app.packages: all to app-config.yaml
4. Wrap legacy options with convertLegacyAppOptions
5. Wrap app element tree with convertLegacyAppRoot
6. Change app.createRoot() to take no arguments
7. Update index.tsx to render element instead of component
8. Update App.test.tsx
9. Verify app starts and works in hybrid mode

Phase 2 (Full Migration)

1. Convert APIs to ApiBlueprint extensions
2. Convert sign-in page to SignInPageBlueprint
3. Convert themes to ThemeBlueprint
4. Convert icons to IconBundleBlueprint
5. Convert translations to TranslationBlueprint
6. Migrate sidebar to NavContentBlueprint
7. Remove built-in root elements (AlertDisplay, OAuthRequestDialog, etc.)
8. Migrate routes from FlatRoutes to plugin features (one plugin at a time, removing all routes + entity content for each plugin together)
9. Set up entity page migration with convertLegacyAppRoot(routes, { entityPage })
10. Migrate catalog plugin: remove catalog routes from FlatRoutes, install catalogPlugin as a feature
11. Gradually remove legacy entity card/content JSX as each contributing plugin is migrated
12. Remove entityPage option and legacy entity page component files
13. Remove convertLegacyAppRoot and convertLegacyAppOptions calls
14. Remove @backstage/app-defaults, @backstage/core-app-api dependencies
15. Run yarn tsc and yarn lint to verify

Troubleshooting

• Install @backstage/plugin-app-visualizer to inspect the extension tree at /visualizer
• Duplicate entity cards: remove legacy card JSX from entity pages — plugins auto-provide them
• Invalid element inside FlatRoutes: push FeatureFlagged/RequirePermissions wrappers into plugin code instead of the route table

Reference

• App migration guide
• Architecture overview
• Extension blueprints
• Installing plugins