AI REGISTRY VS DEVELOPER PORTAL
AI registry vs developer portal — complementary layers
Developer portals and IDPs catalogue software services. Joyst catalogues the AI asset layer: skills, prompts, MCPs, secrets, and agents. Use both — Joyst sits beside Backstage and Port, not instead of them. Private team catalogue — not a marketplace.
CATEGORY CLARITY
Two layers, two jobs
- What developer portals / IDPs own
Software services, ownership, scorecards, and the engineering catalogue. Backstage, Port, OpsLevel, and Cortex excel at the software layer.
- What Joyst owns (AI asset layer)
Skills, prompts, MCPs, secrets, and agents — written, versioned, shared, and governed across AI tools your teams already use.
- Complementary, not competing
Different catalogues for different jobs. Your IDP stays the system of record for software; Joyst is the private catalogue for AI assets.
POSITIONING
Beside your IDP — not instead
- Keep Backstage, Port, OpsLevel, or Cortex
Joyst is not a Backstage alternative, not a Port replacement, and not an OpsLevel or Cortex swap. Those products own the software / IDP layer.
- Add the AI asset catalogue
Skills, prompts, MCPs, secrets, and agents still land ad hoc even when the portal is mature. Joyst catalogues and governs that AI layer beside the IDP.
- Education, not a rip-and-replace pitch
This page explains complementary layers — beside your IDP — so platform teams can keep the portal and still control AI assets.
- Not a marketplace
Private organisation catalogue only. No public skill store, no MCP marketplace browse, no claiming your developer portal’s job.
SIDE BY SIDE
Jobs, not feature wars
- IDP job — keep the portal
Service catalog, ownership, DORA/scorecards, and developer self-service for software. That stays with your portal.
- Joyst job — AI asset layer
Private org catalogue for skills, prompts, MCPs, secrets, and agents — with permissions, versioning, and audit on the AI layer.
- When you need both
Platform teams already running an IDP still face ad-hoc AI installs. Joyst is the allow-list and ownership layer for AI assets.
- Not GRC theatre
Joyst productises catalogue, permissions, and audit on AI assets — not a generic GRC suite and not Trail-style AI Registry positioning.
Permissions & audit trail
Permissions & audit trailSkills registry
Skills registryMCP catalog
MCP catalogPrompt management
Prompt managementAgents
AgentsPlatform teams use case
Platform teams use caseAI registry vs developer portal FAQ
No. Joyst is a private team catalogue for skills, prompts, MCPs, secrets, and agents — the AI asset layer. It is not a developer portal, service catalog, or scorecards platform.
Complementary. IDPs catalogue software services; Joyst catalogues the AI layer. Use both — Joyst is not a Backstage or Port alternative.
No. Private organisation catalogue only — not a public skill store or MCP marketplace.
If teams are installing AI skills and MCP servers ad hoc, yes — your IDP does not replace an AI asset catalogue with permissions and audit.
Five types: skills, prompts, agents, MCPs, and secrets — written, versioned, shared, and governed across AI tools.