rhdh-context

Purpose

Provide context on what Red Hat Developer Hub (RHDH) is, how it relates to Backstage, and the key nuances that affect plugin development and deployment.

What is RHDH

Red Hat Developer Hub (RHDH) is Red Hat's enterprise distribution of Backstage, the open-source developer portal framework originally created by Spotify. RHDH packages Backstage with enterprise support, curated plugins, and an operator-based deployment model for OpenShift and Kubernetes.

RHDH is not a fork of Backstage. It tracks upstream Backstage releases and layers enterprise features on top. The core Backstage APIs and plugin system remain the same, but RHDH adds its own deployment, configuration, and plugin distribution mechanisms.

Key additions RHDH provides over vanilla Backstage:

• Dynamic plugin system — install/remove plugins without rebuilding the application
• Operator-based deployment — Backstage Custom Resource managed by the rhdh-operator
• Helm chart deployment — alternative to operator for simpler setups
• Pre-packaged plugins — curated set of plugins included in the container image (disabled by default, enabled via configuration)
• YAML-based frontend wiring — configure routes, mount points, menus without code changes
• Enterprise auth defaults — authentication required by default (no anonymous access)
• Telemetry — anonymous usage analytics via analytics-provider-segment (enabled by default)
• Branding and theming — configurable logos, colors, sidebar, and i18n via app-config