diff --git a/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry.go b/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry.go
index 44c8a045e33..6bdc87331d3 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry.go
@@ -2,15 +2,20 @@ package coreplugin
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend"
 	sdklog "github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/log"
 	sdktracing "github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/tracing"
 
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/httpclient"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/infra/tracing"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/backendplugin"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/log"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/featuremgmt"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/tsdb/azuremonitor"
 	cloudmonitoring "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/tsdb/cloud-monitoring"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/tsdb/cloudwatch"
@@ -42,6 +47,7 @@ const (
 	Prometheus      = "prometheus"
 	Tempo           = "tempo"
 	TestData        = "grafana-testdata-datasource"
+	TestDataAlias   = "testdata"
 	PostgreSQL      = "grafana-postgresql-datasource"
 	MySQL           = "mysql"
 	MSSQL           = "mssql"
@@ -182,3 +188,73 @@ func (l *logWrapper) FromContext(ctx context.Context) sdklog.Logger {
 		logger: l.logger.FromContext(ctx),
 	}
 }
+
+var ErrCorePluginNotFound = errors.New("core plugin not found")
+
+// NewPlugin factory for creating and initializing a single core plugin.
+// Note: cfg only needed for mssql connection pooling defaults.
+func NewPlugin(pluginID string, cfg *setting.Cfg, httpClientProvider *httpclient.Provider, tracer tracing.Tracer, features featuremgmt.FeatureToggles) (*plugins.Plugin, error) {
+	jsonData := plugins.JSONData{
+		ID:       pluginID,
+		AliasIDs: []string{},
+	}
+	var svc any
+
+	switch pluginID {
+	case TestData, TestDataAlias:
+		jsonData.ID = TestData
+		jsonData.AliasIDs = append(jsonData.AliasIDs, TestDataAlias)
+		svc = testdatasource.ProvideService()
+	case CloudWatch:
+		svc = cloudwatch.ProvideService(httpClientProvider).Executor
+	case CloudMonitoring:
+		svc = cloudmonitoring.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case AzureMonitor:
+		svc = azuremonitor.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case Elasticsearch:
+		svc = elasticsearch.ProvideService(httpClientProvider, tracer)
+	case Graphite:
+		svc = graphite.ProvideService(httpClientProvider, tracer)
+	case InfluxDB:
+		svc = influxdb.ProvideService(httpClientProvider, features)
+	case Loki:
+		svc = loki.ProvideService(httpClientProvider, features, tracer)
+	case OpenTSDB:
+		svc = opentsdb.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case Prometheus:
+		svc = prometheus.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case Tempo:
+		svc = tempo.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case PostgreSQL:
+		svc = postgres.ProvideService(cfg)
+	case MySQL:
+		svc = mysql.ProvideService()
+	case MSSQL:
+		svc = mssql.ProvideService(cfg)
+	case Pyroscope:
+		svc = pyroscope.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	case Parca:
+		svc = parca.ProvideService(httpClientProvider)
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrCorePluginNotFound
+	}
+
+	p := plugins.Plugin{
+		JSONData: jsonData,
+		Class:    plugins.ClassCore,
+	}
+
+	p.SetLogger(log.New(fmt.Sprintf("plugin.%s", p.ID)))
+
+	backendFactory := asBackendPlugin(svc)
+	if backendFactory == nil {
+		return nil, ErrCorePluginNotFound
+	}
+	bp, err := backendFactory(p.ID, p.Logger(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	p.RegisterClient(bp)
+
+	return &p, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry_test.go b/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..31460f92964
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/plugins/backendplugin/coreplugin/registry_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package coreplugin
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/httpclient"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/infra/tracing"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/featuremgmt"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestNewPlugin(t *testing.T) {
+	tcs := []struct {
+		ID                  string
+		ExpectedID          string
+		ExpectedAlias       string
+		ExpectedNotFoundErr bool
+	}{
+		{ID: AzureMonitor},
+		{ID: CloudMonitoring},
+		{ID: CloudWatch},
+		{ID: Elasticsearch},
+		{ID: Grafana, ExpectedNotFoundErr: true},
+		{ID: Graphite},
+		{ID: InfluxDB},
+		{ID: Loki},
+		{ID: MSSQL},
+		{ID: MySQL},
+		{ID: OpenTSDB},
+		{ID: Parca},
+		{ID: PostgreSQL},
+		{ID: Prometheus},
+		{ID: Pyroscope},
+		{ID: Tempo},
+		{ID: TestData, ExpectedAlias: TestDataAlias},
+		{ID: TestDataAlias, ExpectedID: TestData, ExpectedAlias: TestDataAlias},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range tcs {
+		t.Run(tc.ID, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if tc.ExpectedID == "" {
+				tc.ExpectedID = tc.ID
+			}
+
+			p, err := NewPlugin(tc.ID, setting.NewCfg(), httpclient.NewProvider(), tracing.InitializeTracerForTest(), featuremgmt.WithFeatures())
+			if tc.ExpectedNotFoundErr {
+				require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrCorePluginNotFound)
+				require.Nil(t, p)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				require.NotNil(t, p)
+				require.Equal(t, tc.ExpectedID, p.ID)
+				if tc.ExpectedAlias != "" {
+					require.Equal(t, tc.ExpectedAlias, p.AliasIDs[0])
+				}
+				c, exists := p.Client()
+				require.True(t, exists)
+				require.NotNil(t, c)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}