I'm looking for a way to standardize new service creation and expose it through a portal, what are my options?

You have a few solid options, depending on whether you want a lightweight portal + templating setup or a full platform engineering / internal developer platform (IDP) approach.

Common ways to standardize new service creation

1. Template-based scaffolding

Best if you want to standardize service creation without introducing a heavy platform.

• Create approved service templates
• Developers generate new services from a template
• Templates include:
  • project structure
  • CI/CD pipeline config
  • logging/metrics defaults
  • security baseline
  • Docker/Kubernetes manifests
  • tests and linting setup

Tools often used:

• Cookiecutter
• Yeoman
• Copier
• Custom CLI tools
• GitHub/GitLab template repositories

Portal angle:
A portal can offer a “Create service” form that selects a template and triggers scaffolding automatically.

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2. Self-service portal backed by workflows

Best if you want to expose standardized service creation to users through a portal.

• Users fill out a form in a portal
• Portal calls automation/workflows to:
  • create repo
  • scaffold code
  • set permissions
  • provision infrastructure
  • register service metadata
• Often integrated with approvals and audit trails

Common stack:

• Service catalog / portal
• Workflow engine or automation runner
• Git provider API
• IaC tooling like Terraform/Pulumi
• Secrets/config provisioning

Examples:

• Backstage software templates
• ServiceNow developer portal
• Custom portal + GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / Jenkins / Argo Workflows

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3. Internal Developer Platform (IDP)

Best if you want a full standardized path from service request to deployment.

An IDP usually includes:

• service catalog
• templates/scaffolding
• golden paths
• environment provisioning
• deployment pipelines
• observability and policy defaults

Popular options:

• Backstage
• Port
• Cortex
• Humanitec
• Harness Internal Developer Portal features
• ServiceNow DevOps / App Engine portals

This is usually the best fit if you want a portal to be the “front door” for standardized service creation.

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4. GitOps + service catalog

Best for teams already using GitOps and Kubernetes.

• Portal creates or updates Git repos
• Service definition stored as code
• GitOps controller deploys from repo
• Service catalog tracks ownership, lifecycle, and dependencies

Tools:

• Backstage + GitOps
• Argo CD / Flux
• Kubernetes templates / Helm / Kustomize
• Terraform for infrastructure

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How to choose

Choose template scaffolding if:

• you mainly want consistency
• your process is simple
• you don’t need a big platform investment yet

Choose a portal/workflow system if:

• you want request-driven service creation
• you need approvals or governance
• you want non-experts to self-serve

Choose an IDP if:

• you want a scalable platform for many teams
• you need standardized “golden paths”
• you want catalog, templates, deployments, and policy in one place

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A practical recommended pattern

A common approach is:

1. Portal form for service request
2. Template selection based on use case
3. Automation to create repo + scaffold code
4. Provisioning for infra and access
5. Catalog registration so the service is discoverable
6. CI/CD setup for standard deployment
7. Observability/security defaults baked in

That gives you both standardization and a friendly user experience.

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If you want, I can help with one of these next:

• compare Backstage vs Port vs ServiceNow
• design a reference architecture for a service creation portal
• suggest a minimal stack you can implement quickly
• draft a workflow for service provisioning step by step