Backstage IDP Services
Bringing innovative solutions to your Developer Experience
Your Creative DevEx Partner
I'm Paweł Żentała, a creative DevEx engineer with 20+ years bridging technology and human communication. From building robots and IoT systems to crafting developer portals, I bring fresh ideas and proven solutions to your team.
Companies hire me as their external DevEx consultant for months-long engagements. I become part of your team, architecting solutions, building complex features, and elevating your entire Developer Experience.
My approach focuses on inspiring and educating your team while handling the most innovative and challenging development work. I help you build capabilities, not dependencies.
What I Deliver
I design dev portals that teams actually want to use.
Transform your Developer Experience through strategic guidance, innovative solutions, hands-on development, and knowledge transfer that empowers your developers to succeed long-term.
Why Hire an External Backstage Expert & DevEx Consultant?
- ▶ Fresh perspective on your challenges
- ▶ Hands-on builder who codes alongside your team
- ▶ Latest DevEx trends, Backstage solutions and AI innovations
- ▶ Objective assessment of your needs
- ▶ No internal politics or bias
- ▶ Focus on knowledge transfer, not dependency
- ▶ Knowledge transfer built into every engagement
- ▶ Accelerate your roadmap by months
Development Services
Innovative technical solutions and custom development
Custom Plugin Development
Bespoke plugins that solve your specific workflow challenges - from simple automations to complex full-stack features
- ✓ API integrations with your tech stack
- ✓ Custom UI components & workflows
- ✓ Entity pages & homepage widgets
- ✓ Real-time data synchronization
Processors & Catalog Engineering
Pre/post processors that transform how Backstage catalogs and processes your resources
- ✓ Custom entity processors
- ✓ Non-standard resource cataloging
- ✓ Automated discovery & ingestion
- ✓ Data transformation pipelines
Theme & UI Customization
Transform Backstage into a branded experience that developers love to use
- ✓ Custom corporate theming
- ✓ Portal branding - naming, logo, taglines
- ✓ Dark mode optimization
- ✓ Optionally custom navigation
Strategic Consulting
Vision, strategy, and knowledge transfer for long-term success
Strategic DevEx Consulting
Long-term strategic guidance to architect and implement your Backstage ecosystem
- ✓ DevEx strategy & roadmaps
- ✓ Platform architecture design
- ✓ Integration strategy planning
- ✓ Team skill development planning
- ✓ Innovation & best practices
- ✓ Monthly progress reviews
AI-Powered DevEx
Integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities into your developer workflows
- ✓ AI chatbots with MCP & RAG
- ✓ LLM-powered automations
- ✓ Custom AI plugin development
- ✓ Workflow intelligence
Developer Education
Empower your teams with knowledge and best practices for Backstage success
- ✓ Team workshops & training
- ✓ Plugin development courses
- ✓ Best practices mentoring
- ✓ Documentation & guides
Long-Term Partnership Model
Companies hire me as an external consultant for multi-month engagements. I integrate with your team, not just deliver workshops.
Extended Engagement
Become your dedicated DevEx engineer for months. I join your daily standups, architect solutions, implement complex features, and mentor your team throughout the journey.
- • Daily involvement in your project
- • Direct hands-on development
- • Architecture & strategic planning
- • Continuous knowledge transfer
Project Sprints
Intensive development sprints for specific features like custom plugins, AI integrations, or processor development with immediate impact and results.
- • 2-4 week focused sprints
- • Specific feature delivery
- • Team training included
- • Documentation & handover
I Don't Just Consult. I Build.
While I provide strategic guidance and educate your teams, I also roll up my sleeves and code. I handle the most innovative and challenging development work, creating solutions your team can learn from and build upon.
Strategic Vision
Architecture design, roadmap planning, and DevEx strategy
Hands-On Coding
Full-stack development, custom plugins, and complex integrations
Team Empowerment
Knowledge transfer, best practices, and ongoing mentorship
Ready to Transform Your Backstage?
Let's discuss how I can join your team as a dedicated DevEx engineer. From strategic planning to hands-on development, I'll help you build a developer portal that accelerates your entire organization.
Extending Backstage for innovative teams with powerful plugins and custom development services.