24% of the CBA exam. Sample questions below; the full library has 30 questions tagged to this domain.
Sample questions on Backstage Development Workflow
Backstage Development Workflow
Q1. A workspace package in a Backstage monorepo needs its own scripts, dependencies, and package metadata. Which file defines that package-specific contract?
Reveal answer and explanations
Aapp-config.yaml for all user-facing runtime configuration
Incorrect. app-config.yaml is runtime configuration, not npm package metadata.
BA Kubernetes Secret mounted into the package directory
Incorrect. Kubernetes Secrets are deployment resources, not workspace package manifests.
CThe root Dockerfile for the production image
Incorrect. A Dockerfile packages the app but does not define package scripts and dependencies.
DThe package.json file in that workspace package
Correct. Each workspace package uses package.json for its metadata, scripts, and dependency declarations.
Backstage Development Workflow
Q2. When upgrading a Backstage instance from version 1.10.0 to 1.12.0, what is the recommended order of operations?
Reveal answer and explanations
AUpgrade core packages first, then custom plugins, then run changesets
Correct. Core packages should be upgraded first to establish the API surface; plugins are then compatible.
BUpgrade plugins first to ensure compatibility, then upgrade core
Incorrect. Plugins depend on core; upgrading plugins first creates incompatibility.
CRun changesets, upgrade all packages together, then test plugins
Incorrect. Changesets are for publishing, not for upgrade orchestration.
DUpgrade core packages using a script, test thoroughly, then manually upgrade plugins if issues arise
Incorrect. Plugins should be upgraded systematically, not reactively after issues.
Backstage Development Workflow
Q3. How does Yarn workspaces relate to Backstage's monorepo structure?
Reveal answer and explanations
AIt enables efficient package linking and reduces disk space by deduplicating dependencies
Correct. Yarn workspaces enable symlink-based package linking and dependency deduplication across the monorepo.
BIt's only used for backend services
Incorrect. Yarn workspaces are used throughout the monorepo for both frontend and backend.
CIt replaces Lerna's functionality entirely
Incorrect. Yarn workspaces and Lerna serve complementary purposes, not replacing each other.
DIt's an optional feature for larger deployments
Incorrect. Yarn workspaces are fundamental to Backstage's monorepo.
Backstage Development Workflow
Q4. What is the primary function of the 'backstage-cli versions:bump' command in the context of monorepo package management?
Reveal answer and explanations
AIt automatically updates package.json versions across the monorepo based on changesets
Correct. versions:bump reads changesets and updates versions according to semantic versioning rules.
BIt synchronizes version numbers to match the Backstage core version
Incorrect. Package versions are independent of the core version.
CIt increments the version number of all packages uniformly
Incorrect. Versions are incremented based on change type, not uniformly.
DIt checks for outdated dependencies and suggests updates
Incorrect. Dependency checks are a separate CLI function.
Backstage Development Workflow
Q5. A developer is editing Backstage packages locally and wants fast feedback in the browser. What is the main purpose of running yarn start?
Reveal answer and explanations
ATo install every workspace dependency
Incorrect. Dependency installation is handled by yarn install.
BStart the local dev app with live reload
Correct. yarn start runs the local development app so code changes can be tested quickly.
CTo create the optimized production bundle
Incorrect. Production bundles are created by build commands, not the normal dev start command.
DTo run database migrations for production
Incorrect. Database migrations are handled by backend/plugin startup or migration tooling, not by yarn start as its primary purpose.
Backstage Development Workflow accounts for 24% of the CBA exam. Expect questions that test recall of terminology and the ability to read short scenarios — not deep configuration. Use the sample questions above as difficulty calibration; if any feel hard, the rest of our 30-question domain bank will close those gaps.