diff --git a/packages/backend/package.json b/packages/backend/package.json
index 171e169da..77308d2d5 100644
--- a/packages/backend/package.json
+++ b/packages/backend/package.json
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.19.8",
+    "@backstage/backend-defaults": "^0.2.6",
     "@backstage/backend-tasks": "^0.5.11",
     "@backstage/catalog-client": "^1.4.5",
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "^1.4.3",
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/index.test.ts b/packages/backend/src/index.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 7814b8cad..000000000
--- a/packages/backend/src/index.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-import { PluginEnvironment } from './types';
-
-describe('test', () => {
-  it('unbreaks the test runner', () => {
-    const unbreaker = {} as PluginEnvironment;
-    expect(unbreaker).toBeTruthy();
-  });
-});
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/index.ts b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
index 3ce28e356..321b7c176 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
@@ -1,126 +1,25 @@
-/*
- * Hi!
- *
- * Note that this is an EXAMPLE Backstage backend. Please check the README.
- *
- * Happy hacking!
- */
-
-import {
-  CacheManager,
-  DatabaseManager,
-  HostDiscovery,
-  ServerTokenManager,
-  UrlReaders,
-  createServiceBuilder,
-  getRootLogger,
-  loadBackendConfig,
-  notFoundHandler,
-} from '@backstage/backend-common';
-
-import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
-import { PluginEnvironment } from './types';
-import Router from 'express-promise-router';
-import { ServerPermissionClient } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-node';
-import { TaskScheduler } from '@backstage/backend-tasks';
-import app from './plugins/app';
-import auth from './plugins/auth';
-import badges from './plugins/badges';
-import catalog from './plugins/catalog';
-import explore from './plugins/explore';
-import proxy from './plugins/proxy';
-import search from './plugins/search';
-import techdocs from './plugins/techdocs';
-import todo from './plugins/todo';
-import { DefaultIdentityClient } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-node';
-import { CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
-import graphql from './plugins/graphql';
-
-function makeCreateEnv(config: Config) {
-  const root = getRootLogger();
-  const reader = UrlReaders.default({ logger: root, config });
-  root.info(`Created UrlReader ${reader}`);
-  const discovery = HostDiscovery.fromConfig(config);
-  const tokenManager = ServerTokenManager.noop();
-  const databaseManager = DatabaseManager.fromConfig(config);
-  const permissions = ServerPermissionClient.fromConfig(config, {
-    discovery,
-    tokenManager,
-  });
-  const catalogClient = new CatalogClient({
-    discoveryApi: discovery,
-  });
-  const cacheManager = CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
-  const taskScheduler = TaskScheduler.fromConfig(config, { databaseManager });
-  const identity = DefaultIdentityClient.create({
-    discovery,
-  });
-
-  return (plugin: string): PluginEnvironment => {
-    const logger = root.child({ type: 'plugin', plugin });
-    const database = databaseManager.forPlugin(plugin);
-    const cache = cacheManager.forPlugin(plugin);
-    const scheduler = taskScheduler.forPlugin(plugin);
-
-    return {
-      logger,
-      cache,
-      database,
-      config,
-      reader,
-      discovery,
-      tokenManager,
-      permissions,
-      scheduler,
-      identity,
-      catalogClient,
-    };
-  };
-}
-
-async function main() {
-  const config = await loadBackendConfig({
-    argv: process.argv,
-    logger: getRootLogger(),
-  });
-  const createEnv = makeCreateEnv(config);
-
-  const catalogEnv = createEnv('catalog');
-  const authEnv = createEnv('auth');
-  const proxyEnv = createEnv('proxy');
-  const searchEnv = createEnv('search');
-  const techdocsEnv = createEnv('techdocs');
-  const todoEnv = createEnv('todo');
-  const appEnv = createEnv('app');
-  const badgesEnv = createEnv('badges');
-  const exploreEnv = createEnv('explore');
-  const graphqlEnv = createEnv('graphql');
-
-  const apiRouter = Router();
-  apiRouter.use('/catalog', await catalog(catalogEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/auth', await auth(authEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/search', await search(searchEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/techdocs', await techdocs(techdocsEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/todo', await todo(todoEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/proxy', await proxy(proxyEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/badges', await badges(badgesEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/explore', await explore(exploreEnv));
-  apiRouter.use('/graphql', await graphql(graphqlEnv));
-  apiRouter.use(notFoundHandler());
-
-  const service = createServiceBuilder(module)
-    .loadConfig(config)
-    .addRouter('/api', apiRouter)
-    .addRouter('', await app(appEnv));
-
-  await service.start().catch(err => {
-    console.log(err);
-    process.exit(1);
-  });
-}
-
-module.hot?.accept();
-main().catch(error => {
-  console.error('Backend failed to start up', error);
-  process.exit(1);
-});
+import { legacyPlugin } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+import { createBackend } from '@backstage/backend-defaults';
+import { graphqlPlugin } from '@frontside/backstage-plugin-graphql-backend';
+import { graphqlModuleCatalog } from '@frontside/backstage-plugin-graphql-backend-module-catalog';
+
+const backend = createBackend();
+
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-app-backend/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-auth-backend'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-badges-backend'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend/alpha'));
+// TODO:(awanlin) replace when this is completed: https://github.com/backstage/backstage/pull/20551
+backend.add(legacyPlugin('explore', import('./plugins/explore')));
+// TODO:(awanlin) update with import when available
+backend.add(graphqlPlugin);
+backend.add(graphqlModuleCatalog());
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-proxy-backend/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-search-backend/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-search-backend-module-catalog/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-search-backend-module-explore/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-search-backend-module-techdocs/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-techdocs-backend/alpha'));
+backend.add(import('@backstage/plugin-todo-backend'));
+
+backend.start();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/plugins/graphql.ts b/packages/backend/src/plugins/graphql.ts
index e338b914f..aa16f006b 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/plugins/graphql.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/plugins/graphql.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 import { createRouter } from '@frontside/backstage-plugin-graphql-backend';
 import {
   createCatalogLoader,
@@ -8,8 +9,9 @@ import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
 
 export default async function createPlugin({
   logger,
-  catalogClient,
+  discovery,
 }: PluginEnvironment): Promise<Router> {
+  const catalogClient = new CatalogClient({ discoveryApi: discovery });
   return await createRouter({
     modules: [Catalog()],
     logger,
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/types.ts b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
index b8977f824..c42628273 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { IdentityApi } from '@backstage/plugin-auth-node';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { PermissionEvaluator } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
 import { PluginTaskScheduler } from '@backstage/backend-tasks';
-import { CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 
 export type PluginEnvironment = {
   logger: Logger;
@@ -24,5 +23,4 @@ export type PluginEnvironment = {
   scheduler: PluginTaskScheduler;
   permissions: PermissionEvaluator;
   identity: IdentityApi;
-  catalogClient: CatalogClient;
 };
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 0ff8a7927..2bfe8119b 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -3439,8 +3439,8 @@ __metadata:
   linkType: hard
 
 "@backstage/backend-app-api@npm:^0.5.6":
-  version: 0.5.6
-  resolution: "@backstage/backend-app-api@npm:0.5.6"
+  version: 0.5.7
+  resolution: "@backstage/backend-app-api@npm:0.5.7"
   dependencies:
     "@backstage/backend-common": ^0.19.8
     "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": ^0.6.6
@@ -3472,7 +3472,7 @@ __metadata:
     stoppable: ^1.1.0
     winston: ^3.2.1
     winston-transport: ^4.5.0
-  checksum: 2e9574642a167cb5e37e8ee18f1ffb5d40da491ae5de89c1fba84f7c8fd5986a9a51b9191a829e546e91a6aa0d276855a27254d0af21e40e1e2ed3d99323825d
+  checksum: dda9f785545a65006612ede044fa0abf1c7e8ea7874ca4f41f9b1c8789acb71a468203591212c313ed147cdf43ef12a94b03d34d342056ddd33fea0e58a8fde4
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
@@ -3543,6 +3543,17 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"@backstage/backend-defaults@npm:^0.2.6":
+  version: 0.2.6
+  resolution: "@backstage/backend-defaults@npm:0.2.6"
+  dependencies:
+    "@backstage/backend-app-api": ^0.5.6
+    "@backstage/backend-common": ^0.19.8
+    "@backstage/backend-plugin-api": ^0.6.6
+  checksum: 7f37dc12b13423770db170ae53c3576c2e4562a6b4781bd59ca515a269e82b324c262b18cbff281e6498e17f09615c983d50c076c288bd9fe6724025ce4a60d6
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "@backstage/backend-dev-utils@npm:^0.1.2":
   version: 0.1.2
   resolution: "@backstage/backend-dev-utils@npm:0.1.2"
@@ -11686,6 +11697,7 @@ __metadata:
   resolution: "backend@workspace:packages/backend"
   dependencies:
     "@backstage/backend-common": ^0.19.8
+    "@backstage/backend-defaults": ^0.2.6
     "@backstage/backend-tasks": ^0.5.11
     "@backstage/catalog-client": ^1.4.5
     "@backstage/catalog-model": ^1.4.3