# Plugins

Backstage is a single-page application composed of a set of plugins.

Our goal for the plugin ecosystem is that the definition of a plugin is flexible enough to allow you to expose pretty much any kind of infrastructure or software development tool as a plugin in Backstage. By following strong [design guidelines](https://github.com/spotify/backstage/blob/master/docs/dls/design.md) we ensure the overall user experience stays consistent between plugins.

![plugin](../docs/assets/my-plugin_screenshot.png)

## Creating a plugin

To create a plugin, follow the steps outlined [here](https://github.com/spotify/backstage/blob/master/docs/plugins/create-a-plugin.md).

## Suggesting a plugin

If you start developing a plugin that you aim to release as open source, we suggest that you create a [new Issue](https://github.com/spotify/backstage/issues/new?template=plugin_template.md). This helps the community know what plugins are in development.

You can also use this process if you have an idea for a good plugin but you hope that someone else will pick up the work.
