Developer Hub: Templates and Integrations

Complete Install and configure Red Hat Developer Hub before this section so you have a running instance.

Overview

In this section you will register a Golden Path template that scaffolds new Quarkus projects with CI/CD pre-configured, integrate Dev Spaces for one-click workspace creation, and configure OpenShift OAuth for enterprise authentication.

Register a Golden Path Template

Golden Path templates provide a self-service way for developers to create new projects that follow organizational standards.

Template Structure

A Golden Path template consists of:

golden-path-quarkus/
├── template.yaml          # Template definition
└── skeleton/
    ├── devfile.yaml        # Dev Spaces workspace config
    ├── pom.xml             # Quarkus project with dependencies
    ├── src/                # Application source code
    ├── catalog-info.yaml   # Backstage catalog entity
    ├── tekton/             # Pipeline definitions
    │   ├── pipeline.yaml
    │   └── trigger.yaml
    └── gitops/             # Argo CD manifests
        ├── dev/
        │   ├── deployment.yaml
        │   ├── service.yaml
        │   └── route.yaml
        └── stage/
            ├── deployment.yaml
            ├── service.yaml
            └── route.yaml

Create the Template Definition

Create template.yaml in your GitLab repository:

apiVersion: scaffolder.backstage.io/v1beta3
kind: Template
metadata:
  name: quarkus-golden-path
  title: Quarkus Application (Golden Path)
  description: |
    Create a Quarkus application with CI/CD pipeline, GitOps deployment,
    Dev Spaces workspace, and OpenTelemetry instrumentation pre-configured.
  tags:
    - quarkus
    - java
    - recommended
spec:
  owner: platform-team
  type: service
  parameters:
    - title: Application Details
      required:
        - name
        - owner
      properties:
        name:
          title: Application Name
          type: string
          pattern: "^[a-z0-9-]+$"
        description:
          title: Description
          type: string
        owner:
          title: Owner
          type: string
          ui:field: OwnerPicker

    - title: Repository
      required:
        - repoUrl
      properties:
        repoUrl:
          title: Repository Location
          type: string
          ui:field: RepoUrlPicker
          ui:options:
            allowedHosts:
              - <gitlab_host>

  steps:
    - id: fetch-skeleton
      name: Fetch Skeleton
      action: fetch:template
      input:
        url: ./skeleton
        values:
          name: ${{ parameters.name }}
          description: ${{ parameters.description }}
          owner: ${{ parameters.owner }}

    - id: publish
      name: Publish to GitLab
      action: publish:gitlab
      input:
        repoUrl: ${{ parameters.repoUrl }}
        description: ${{ parameters.description }}
        defaultBranch: main

    - id: register
      name: Register in Catalog
      action: catalog:register
      input:
        repoContentsUrl: ${{ steps['publish'].output.repoContentsUrl }}
        catalogInfoPath: /catalog-info.yaml

  output:
    links:
      - title: Repository
        url: ${{ steps['publish'].output.remoteUrl }}
      - title: Open in Catalog
        icon: catalog
        entityRef: ${{ steps['register'].output.entityRef }}

Create the Catalog Entity

Add catalog-info.yaml to the skeleton directory:

apiVersion: backstage.io/v1alpha1
kind: Component
metadata:
  name: ${{ values.name }}
  description: ${{ values.description }}
  annotations:
    backstage.io/techdocs-ref: dir:.
    argocd/app-name: ${{ values.name }}-dev
    janus-idp.io/tekton: ${{ values.name }}
spec:
  type: service
  lifecycle: production
  owner: ${{ values.owner }}

Register the Template in Developer Hub

Add the template location to your app-config ConfigMap:

catalog:
  locations:
    - type: url
      target: https://<gitlab_host>/golden-path-quarkus/-/blob/main/template.yaml
      rules:
        - allow: [Template]

Update the ConfigMap:

oc edit configmap rhdh-config -n setup-rhdh

The Operator will roll out the updated configuration. After the pod restarts, the template appears in Create Templates in Developer Hub.

Integrate with Dev Spaces

Add a Dev Spaces link to catalog components so developers can open a workspace directly from the component page.

Add the Dev Spaces URL Annotation

In the catalog-info.yaml skeleton, add the Dev Spaces annotation:

metadata:
  annotations:
    che.eclipse.org/che-server: https://devspaces.apps.<cluster_domain>

When a component has this annotation, the Developer Hub UI shows a "Dev Spaces" link that opens a workspace for the component’s repository.

Configure the Dev Spaces Plugin

Add the Dev Spaces plugin configuration to app-config:

devSpaces:
  defaultUrl: https://devspaces.apps.<cluster_domain>

Update the ConfigMap and wait for the pod to restart.

Configure OpenShift OAuth Authentication

Replace guest authentication with OpenShift OAuth for production-like access.

Create an OAuth Client

oc create -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: oauth.openshift.io/v1
kind: OAuthClient
metadata:
  name: rhdh-oauth
grantMethod: auto
redirectURIs:
  - https://backstage-rhdh-setup-rhdh.apps.<cluster_domain>/api/auth/oidc/handler/frame
secret: <generate_a_random_secret>
EOF

Create the Auth Secret

oc create secret generic rhdh-auth-secret -n setup-rhdh \
  --from-literal=AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_ID=rhdh-oauth \
  --from-literal=AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=<the_secret_from_above> \
  --from-literal=AUTH_OIDC_METADATA_URL=https://oauth-openshift.apps.<cluster_domain>/.well-known/openid-configuration

Update app-config

Replace the guest auth block with OIDC:

auth:
  environment: production
  providers:
    oidc:
      production:
        clientId: ${AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_ID}
        clientSecret: ${AUTH_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET}
        metadataUrl: ${AUTH_OIDC_METADATA_URL}
        prompt: auto

Mount the Secret in the Backstage CR

Update the Backstage CR to include the auth secret:

spec:
  application:
    extraEnvs:
      secrets:
        - name: rhdh-auth-secret

Apply the updated CR:

oc apply -f backstage-cr.yaml

After the pod restarts, the login page will show OpenShift as the identity provider instead of guest.

Test the Golden Path

Open Developer Hub and go to Create Templates
Select the Quarkus Application (Golden Path) template
Fill in the parameters (name, owner, repository location)
Click Create
Verify the template:
- A new GitLab repository is created with the skeleton code
- The component is registered in the Developer Hub catalog
- The repository includes a devfile, Tekton pipeline, and GitOps manifests
Open the component in the catalog and click the Dev Spaces link to launch a workspace

Summary

Developer Hub now provides:

Golden Path templates that scaffold complete projects with CI/CD, GitOps, and Dev Spaces pre-configured
Software Catalog with component metadata, ownership, and links to pipelines and deployments
Dev Spaces integration for one-click workspace creation from catalog components
OpenShift OAuth for enterprise authentication

Next Steps

Proceed to Day 2 Recap.