Backstage Infracost Plugin

Install the frontend plugin

1. Add the package to your app

   If you use yarn three

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   yarn workspace app add @veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost

   If you use other yarn versions

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   yarn add --cwd packages/app @veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost

2. Add the Infracost tab to your entity page

   Edit packages/app/src/components/catalog/EntityPage.tsx

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   // other imports
   import { InfracostOverviewPage, isInfracostAvailable } from '@veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost';
   import { EntityLayout } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog';
   // import your existing pages too
   
   const clusterPage = (
     <EntityLayout>
       <EntityLayout.Route path="/" title="Overview">
         <ClusterOverviewPage />
       </EntityLayout.Route>
   
       {/* other routes */}
   
       <EntityLayout.Route if={isInfracostAvailable} path="/infracost" title="Infracost">
         <InfracostOverviewPage />
       </EntityLayout.Route>
     </EntityLayout>
   );
   
   export default clusterPage;

   You can add the route to any entity page you prefer. Cluster is an example.

Install the backend plugin new backend system

You need the Infracost backend plugin from VeeCode. The exact package name and module export come from the backend readme. The steps below show where to wire it into the new backend system.

1. Add the backend package

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   yarn add --cwd packages/backend @veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost-backend

2. Register the backend module

   Edit packages/backend/src/index.ts

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   import { createBackend } from '@backstage/backend-defaults';
   // Replace this import with the module export from the backend plugin readme
   // Some plugins export a backend module function that you pass to backend.add
   import { infracostModule } from '@veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost-backend';
   
   const backend = createBackend();
   
   // Add other modules already in your app here
   
   // Register Infracost backend module
   backend.add(infracostModule());
   
   backend.start();

   If the backend plugin exports a different helper name, use that. Keep the registration in the main backend index so it loads on start.

Install the backend plugin legacy backend system

If your app still uses the legacy backend with express routers, wire the plugin like this.

1. Add the backend package

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   yarn add --cwd packages/backend @veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost-backend

2. Create the plugin router

   Create packages/backend/src/plugins/infracost.ts

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   import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
   // Replace the import below with the correct createRouter or factory from the backend plugin readme
   import { createRouter } from '@veecode-platform/backstage-plugin-infracost-backend';
   
   export default async function createPlugin(env: PluginEnvironment) {
     return await createRouter({
       logger: env.logger,
       config: env.config,
       discovery: env.discovery,
       reader: env.reader,
       database: env.database,
       permissions: env.permissions,
     });
   }

3. Mount the router

   Edit packages/backend/src/index.ts

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   import infraRouter from './plugins/infracost';
   
   async function main() {
     const env = useHotMemoize(module, () => createEnv('plugin'));
     const apiRouter = Router();
   
     // other routers
   
     apiRouter.use('/infracost', await infraRouter(env));
   
     // start service with apiRouter
   }
   
   main().catch(err => {
     process.exit(1);
   });

   If the plugin readme shows a different mount path, use that path. The example uses /infracost under the main api router.

Configure your catalog entities

You need two things in your catalog

1. The main component entity needs an annotation

   Add infracost project to the component. The value must match the component name that holds the estimate.

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   apiVersion: veecode.backstage.io/v1alpha1
   kind: Cluster
   metadata:
     name: cluster-ec2
     annotations:
       github.com/project-slug: test/cluster-ec2
       backstage.io/techdocs-ref: dir:.
       infracost/project: cluster-ec2
   spec:
     type: ec2
     lifecycle: experimental
     owner: group:default/admin

2. An Infracost entity that references the estimate file

   You can add it manually or automate it with a workflow. Both paths are below.

Manual estimate generation

1. Generate the estimate JSON at the project root after you have a terraform plan

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   infracost breakdown --path plan_cache_cli.json --format json --out-file infracost-base.json

2. Move the estimate and create the Infracost entity

   Create a folder named .content in the repo root. Move infracost-base.json into .content. Then create .content/infracost.yaml

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   apiVersion: veecode.backstage.io/v1alpha1
   kind: Infracost
   metadata:
     name: cluster-ec2
     annotations:
       backstage.io/techdocs-ref: dir:.
   spec:
     type: FinOps
     lifecycle: experimental
     owner: group:default/admin
     estimate:
       $text: ./infracost-base.json

3. Move your main entity into .content and fix techdocs path if needed

   If you move catalog-info.yaml into .content and rename it to match your kind, update techdocs to point one level up

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   apiVersion: veecode.backstage.io/v1alpha1
   kind: Cluster
   metadata:
     name: cluster-ec2
     annotations:
       github.com/project-slug: test/cluster-ec2
       backstage.io/techdocs-ref: dir:..
       infracost/project: cluster-ec2
   spec:
     type: ec2
     lifecycle: experimental
     owner: group:default/admin

4. Add a location at the repo root that points to every entity file inside .content

   Create catalog-info.yaml at the repo root

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   apiVersion: backstage.io/v1alpha1
   kind: Location
   metadata:
     name: cluster-ec2-location
     description: Importing components
   spec:
     targets:
       - ./.content/*.yaml

Automated estimate with GitHub Actions

This workflow runs terraform plan then creates infracost-base.json. It writes the Infracost entity file and commits artifacts into .content.

Create .github/workflows/infracost-estimate.yml

name: infracost-estimate

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - "*"
      - "*/*"
      - "**"
  workflow_dispatch: 
env:
  PATH_INFRACOST: ./.content

jobs:
  infracost:
    name: Infracost
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
      pull-requests: write

    steps:
      - uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v2
      - name: Setup Infracost
        uses: infracost/actions/setup@v2
        with:
          api-key: ${{ secrets.INFRACOST_API_KEY }}
          path: |
            .terraform/**
            .terraform.lock.hcl
            plan_cache.json
          key: terraform-lock-${{ steps.extract_branch.outputs.branch }}

      - name: Checkout base branch
        uses: actions/checkout@v3
        with:
          ref: '${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}'
      - name: Configure AWS Credentials
        uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
        with:
          aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY }}
          aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_KEY }}
          aws-region: ${{ secrets.AWS_REGION }}
      - name: Terraform Init
        id: init
        run: |
             terraform init
             terraform plan -no-color -out plan_cache.json 
      # Generate Infracost JSON file as the baseline.
      - name: Generate Infracost cost estimate baseline
        run: |
          infracost breakdown --show-skipped --path plan_cache.json

      - name: Generate Infracost cost estimate Json
        run: |
          infracost breakdown --path plan_cache.json --format json --out-file ${{ env.PATH_INFRACOST }}/infracost-base.json

      - name: Generate component infracost.yaml
        run: |
          echo 'apiVersion: veecode.backstage.io/v1alpha1
          kind: Infracost
          metadata:
            name: cluster-ec2  # component name
            annotations:
             backstage.io/techdocs-ref: dir:.
          spec:
            type: FinOps
            lifecycle: experimental
            owner: "group:default/admin"
            estimate:
             $text: ./infracost-base.json' > ${{ env.PATH_INFRACOST }}/infracost.yaml

      - name: Publish generated artifacts
        uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v5
        with:
          file_pattern: "${{ env.PATH_INFRACOST }}"
          commit_user_name: ${{ secrets.GH_USERNAME }}
          commit_user_email: ${{ secrets.GH_EMAIL }}
          commit_author: ${{ secrets.GH_USERNAME }}<${{ secrets.GH_EMAIL }}>
          commit_message: "Publish infracost estimate"
          push_options: '--force'

If you choose a different folder, update the location targets and the PATH_INFRACOST variable.

What the backend stores

Once the backend plugin is running and the Infracost entity points to infracost-base.json, the backend processor persists the data in the database. Then the UI tab reads it and shows the cost estimate for the selected entity.