API documentation for surfaces

This topic tells you about API references for surfaces in Tanzu Developer Portal.

The following packages are described:

• @tpb/plugin-catalog
• @vmware-tanzu/core-backend
• @vmware-tanzu/core-frontend
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-auth-backend
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-custom-logger
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-home
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-ldap-backend
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-login
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-microsoft-graph-org-reader-processor
• @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-permission-backend

Package @tpb/plugin-catalog

The following sections describe the package.

Class EntityPageSurface

This class can manipulate the contents of pages for Backstage catalog entities.

Each catalog entity subtype can specify a dedicated template. This surface standardizes the contents of those templates and allows for some amount of external configuration.

This example adds a tab to the template for Backstage Service entities:

context.applyWithDependency(
  AppRouteSurface,
  EntityPageSurface,
  (_, surface) => {
       surface.servicePage.addTab(
         <EntityLayout.Route path="/some-subpath" title="Additional content for Services">
           <MyAdditionalContent />
         </EntityLayout.Route>,
       );
     },
  );

Properties

Property	Type	Description
apiPage	ApiPage
componentPageCases	ReactElement[]
defaultPage	BasicPage
domainPage	BasicPage
groupPage	BasicPage
packagePage	BasicPage
servicePage	BasicPage
systemPage	BasicPage
userPage	BasicPage
websitePage	BasicPage

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the EntityPageSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addComponentPageCase(pageCase: ReactElement): void

This table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Type	Description
pageCase	ReactElement

addOverviewContent(content: ReactElement): void

This table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Type	Description
content	ReactElement

Package @vmware-tanzu/core-backend

The following sections describe the package.

Types

The package has the following types.

BackendPluginInterface<T = {}> = (config?: T & BackendPluginConfig) => TpbPluginInterface;

CatalogProcessorBuilder = (env: PluginEnvironment) => CatalogProcessor[] | CatalogProcessor;

EntityProviderBuilder = (env: PluginEnvironment) => EntityProvider[] | EntityProvider;

PermissionRuleBuilder = (env: PluginEnvironment) => CatalogPermissionRule[] | CatalogPermissionRule;

PluginFn = (env: PluginEnvironment) => Promise<Router>;

RouterBuilder = (env: PluginEnvironment) => Promise<Router>;

Class BackendCatalogSurface

This class can manipulate the catalog backend.

This class provides extension points for registering catalog processors, entity providers, routes, and permissions.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the BackendCatalogSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addCatalogProcessorBuilder(builder: CatalogProcessorBuilder): void

This method registers a Backstage CatalogProcessor that applies transformations to unprocessed entities.

For more information about processors, see the Backstage documentation.

For more information about processing, see the Backstage documentation.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	CatalogProcessorBuilder	Builds a CatalogProcessor for a given PluginEnvironment.

addEntityProviderBuilder(builder: EntityProviderBuilder): void

This method registers a Backstage EntityProvider to ingest generate catalog entries for further processing.

For more information about ingestion, see the Backstage documentation.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	EntityProviderBuilder	Builds an EntityProvider for a given PluginEnvironment.

addPermissionRuleBuilder(builder: PermissionRuleBuilder): void

This method registers Backstage CatalogPermissionRules to limit access to catalog entries.

For more information about custom permission rules, see the Backstage documentation.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	PermissionRuleBuilder	Builds CatalogPermissionRules for a given PluginEnvironment.

addRouterBuilder(routerBuilder: RouterBuilder): void

This method registers an Express Router to handle arbitrary requests made to the Backstage backend.

Parameter	Type	Description
routerBuilder	RouterBuilder	Builds an Express Router for a given PluginEnvironment.

Class BackendPluginSurface

You can use this class to add plug-ins to the Backstage backend.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the BackendPluginSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addPlugin(plugin: Plugin): void

This method registers a named plug-in to handle backend requests at a subpath.

Plug-ins must have unique names. The first plug-in registered with a given name wins.

Parameter	Type	Description
plugin	Plugin	Plug-in to add

Package @vmware-tanzu/core-frontend

The following sections describe the package.

Types

The package has the following type.

AppPluginInterface<T = {}> = (config?: T) => TpbPluginInterface;

Class ApiSurface

You can use this class to add Backstage ApiFactories.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(factory: AnyApiFactory): void

This method registers a new Backstage ApiFactory. Factories must specify an API with a unique ID. The last factory registered with a given ID wins.

Factories that specify APIs with IDs on the ignored list will not be registered.

Parameter	Type	Description
factory	AnyApiFactory

Class AppComponentSurface

You can use this class to replace core components of the Backstage app.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the AppComponentSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add<K extends keyof AppComponents>(key: K, component: AppComponents[K]): void

This method replaces a given Backstage AppComponent with another. AppComponents must be unique by key. The last AppComponent registered with a given key wins.

Parameter	Type	Description
key		Unique key for the AppComponent.
component	AppComponents	Custom AppComponent to substitute for Backstage’s default.

Class AppPluginSurface

You can use this class to register additional frontend plug-ins with the Backstage app.

https://backstage.io/docs/plugins/

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

Constructs a new instance of the AppPluginSurface class

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(plugin: BackstagePlugin): void

This method registers a frontend BackstagePlugin.

Parameter	Type	Description
plugin	BackstagePlugin

Class AppRouteSurface

Manipulate routes in the frontend Backstage app.

https://backstage.io/docs/plugins/composability/#routing-system

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

Constructs a new instance of the AppRouteSurface class

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(route: ReactElement): void

This method registers a react-router Route.

Parameter	Type	Description
route	ReactElement	Route to register. Intended to be a react-router#Route or a subclass of it.

addRouteBinder(routeBinder: RouteBinder): void

This method binds external routes.

https://backstage.io/docs/plugins/composability/#binding-external-routes-in-the-app

Parameter	Type	Description
routeBinder	RouteBinder

Class BannerSurface

You can use this class to add page-level banners to the Backstage app.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

Constructs a new instance of the BannerSurface class

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(banner: ReactElement): void

This method adds a new page-level banner.

Parameter	Type	Description
banner	ReactElement

Class SettingsTabsSurface

You can use this class to add tabs to the Settings page.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the SettingsTabsSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(tab: ReactElement): void

This method adds a new tab to the Settings page.

Parameter	Type	Description
tab	ReactElement	Typically an instance of @ backstage/ @ plugin-user-settings#SettingsLayout.Route

Class SidebarItemSurface

You can use this class to manipulate entries in sidebar.

Entries are split into two sections: top items appear above a divider and main items appear below it. Tabs within each section are rendered in order of registration.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the SidebarItemSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addMainItem(item: ReactElement): void

This method adds an item to the main items section.

Parameter	Type	Description
item	ReactElement

addTopItem(item: ReactElement): void

This method adds an item to the top items section.

Parameter	Type	Description
item	ReactElement

Class ThemeSurface

You can use this class to manipulate themes available to the Backstage application.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the ThemeSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addTheme(theme: AppTheme): void

This method registers an additional theme.

Parameter	Type	Description
theme	AppTheme

setRootBuilder(builder: (children: JSX.Element) => ReactElement): void

This method registers the factory that renders the application’s root element.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	JSX.ElementReactElement

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-auth-backend

The following sections describe the package.

Class SignInProviderSurface

You can use this class to register additional Auth Providers.

https://backstage.io/docs/auth/add-auth-provider

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(signInProvider: SignInProvider): void

This method registers an additional Auth Provider. The Auth Provider named last wins.

Parameter	Type	Description
signInProvider	SignInProvider	Map of @ backstage/plugin-auth-backend#AuthProviderFactory instances.

Class SignInResolverSurface

You can use this class to register SignInResolvers and provide utility methods to log in with them.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(authProviderKey: string, resolver: SignInResolver<any>): void

This method registers a new SignInResolver.

Parameter	Type	Description
authProviderKey		Name resolver to add. Uniqueness of name is not enforced, but the behavior of duplicate named entries is undefined.
resolver	SignInResolver	Resolver to add.

getResolver<TAuthResult>(authProviderKey: string): SignInResolver<TAuthResult>

This method gets the first named provider, or fall back to the guest resolver.

Parameter	Type	Description
authProviderKey

signInAsGuestResolver<TAuthResult>(): SignInResolver<TAuthResult>

This method gets a resolver that creates an ad-hoc guest user.

signInWithEmail(email: string, context: AuthResolverContext): Promise<BackstageSignInResult>

This method provides a utility function to sign in as a user by email address.

The method attempts to match the given email address with a catalog user’s email address for sign-in. If that fails, the method signs the user in without associating with a catalog user.

Parameter	Type	Description
email		Email address to attempt sign-in with.
context	AuthResolverContext

signInWithName(name: string, context: AuthResolverContext): Promise<BackstageSignInResult>

This method provides a utility function to sign in as a user by name.

The method attempts to match the name with a catalog user for signing in. If that fails, the method signs the user in with that name without associating with a catalog user.

Parameter	Type	Description
name		Username to attempt sign-in with.
context	AuthResolverContext

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-custom-logger

The following sections describe the package.

Class LoggerOptionsSurface

You can use this class to allow for configuration of the Backstage logger.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the LoggerOptionsSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

setLoggerOptions(loggerOptions: LoggerOptions): void

This method sets options for the Backstage logger. This method can be invoked multiple times. The last invocation wins.

Parameter	Type	Description
loggerOptions	LoggerOptions

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-home

The following sections describe the package.

Class HomeSurface

You can use this class to add content to the Backstage Home screen.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the HomeSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

addContent(item: ReactElement): void

This method adds content to the main section below the widget grid.

Parameter	Type	Description
item	ReactElement	Item to add.

addWidget(item: ReactElement, config?: LayoutConfiguration): void

This method adds a widget to the Home screen’s widget grid.

Parameter	Type	Description
item	ReactElement	Widget to add.
config	LayoutConfiguration	(Optional) layout configuration for the widget. The config.component field must match the added widget either by name (if provided as string) or by direct reference (if provided as a React element).

addWidgetConfig(config: LayoutConfiguration): void

This method specifies the layout configuration for a widget.

Parameter	Type	Description
config	LayoutConfiguration	Optional layout configuration for a widget. The config.component field must match some registered widget either by name (if provided as string) or by direct reference (if provided as a React element).

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-ldap-backend

The following sections describe the package.

Class LdapSurface

You can use this class to allow for manipulation of LDAP groups and users during ingestion.

Constructors

The package has the following constructor(s).

constructor()

This constructor constructs a new instance of the LdapSurface class.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

setGroupTransformerBuilder(builder: GroupTransformerBuilder): void

This method specifies the transformation of LDAP groups during ingestion.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	GroupTransformerBuilder

setUserTransformerBuilder(builder: UserTransformerBuilder): void

This method specifies the transformation of LDAP users during ingestion.

Parameter	Type	Description
builder	UserTransformerBuilder

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-login

The following sections describe the package.

Class LoginSurface

You can use this class to register new login providers with Backstage’s SignIn page.

For more information about sign-in configuration, see the Backstage documentation.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

add(provider: Provider): void

This method registers a login provider.

Parameter	Type	Description
provider	Provider

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-microsoft-graph-org-reader-processor

The following sections describe the package.

Class MicrosoftGraphOrgReaderProcessorTransformersSurface

You can use this class to allow for manipulation of Microsoft Graph groups and users during ingestion.

Methods

The package has the following methods.

setGroupTransformer(groupTransformer: GroupTransformer): void

This method specifies the transformation of Microsoft Graph groups during ingestion.

Parameter	Type	Description
groupTransformer	GroupTransformer

setOrganizationTransformer(organizationTransformer: OrganizationTransformer): void

This method specifies the transformation of Microsoft Graph organizations during ingestion.

Parameter	Type	Description
organizationTransformer	OrganizationTransformer

setUserTransformer(userTransformer: UserTransformer): void

This method specifies the transformation of Microsoft Graph users during ingestion.

Parameter	Type	Description
userTransformer	UserTransformer

Package @vmware-tanzu/tdp-plugin-permission-backend

The following sections describe the package.

Class CustomPermissionPolicy

Methods

The package has the following methods.

handle(request: PolicyQuery): Promise<PolicyDecision>

Parameter	Type	Description
request	PolicyQuery

Class PermissionPolicySurface

You can use this class to define a PermissionPolicy for the Backstage application.

https://backstage.io/docs/permissions/writing-a-policy

Methods

The package has the following methods.

set(permissionPolicy: PermissionPolicy): void

This method defines the PermissionPolicy for the Backstage application. This method can be invoked only once.

Parameter	Type	Description
permissionPolicy	PermissionPolicy