diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/.changeset/rename-dcm-api-url.md b/workspaces/dcm/.changeset/rename-dcm-api-url.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a5ca02bc28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/.changeset/rename-dcm-api-url.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@red-hat-developer-hub/backstage-plugin-dcm-backend': patch
+---
+
+Rename DCM_API_GATEWAY_URL to DCM_API_URL. Legacy env var and
+dcm.apiGatewayUrl config remain supported during migration.
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/app-config.production.yaml b/workspaces/dcm/app-config.production.yaml
index 829b840553..2f459cda71 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/app-config.production.yaml
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/app-config.production.yaml
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ backend:
     connection: ':memory:'
 
 dcm:
+  apiUrl: ${DCM_API_URL:-}
+  # Legacy env var; kept until deploy configs switch to DCM_API_URL.
   apiGatewayUrl: ${DCM_API_GATEWAY_URL:-}
   ssoBaseUrl: ${DCM_SSO_BASE_URL:-}
   clientId: ${DCM_CLIENT_ID:-}
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/app-config.yaml b/workspaces/dcm/app-config.yaml
index cbd5f40bab..9959b8d0ef 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/app-config.yaml
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/app-config.yaml
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ dcm:
     - security-baseline
     - compliance-pci
     - audit-logging
-  # Base URL of the DCM API Gateway. All three API services (catalog,
+  # Base URL of the DCM control plane. All three API services (catalog,
   # policy-manager, providers) are routed through this single endpoint.
   # Override in app-config.local.yaml for local development.
-  # apiGatewayUrl: https://your-api-gateway.example.com
+  # apiUrl: https://your-control-plane.example.com
   #
   # SSO credentials for the backend to obtain a bearer token:
   # ssoBaseUrl: https://sso.redhat.com
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/app-config.dynamic.yaml b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/app-config.dynamic.yaml
index 7772490679..c22a5d07be 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/app-config.dynamic.yaml
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/app-config.dynamic.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 dcm:
-  # Base URL of the DCM API Gateway (required).
+  # Base URL of the DCM control plane (required).
+  apiUrl: ${DCM_API_URL}
+  # Legacy env var; kept until deploy configs switch to DCM_API_URL.
   apiGatewayUrl: ${DCM_API_GATEWAY_URL}
 
   # SSO configuration for the backend to obtain bearer tokens via
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/config.d.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/config.d.ts
index 441078f62e..78259ce87f 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/config.d.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/config.d.ts
@@ -17,13 +17,24 @@
 export interface Config {
   dcm: {
     /**
-     * Base URL of the DCM API Gateway.
+     * Base URL of the DCM control plane.
      *
      * All API services (catalog, policy-manager, providers) are routed
-     * through this single gateway. The backend appends `/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
+     * through this endpoint. The backend appends `/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
      * to construct the upstream URL.
      *
-     * @example "http://localhost:9080"
+     * @example "http://localhost:8080"
+     * @visibility backend
+     */
+    apiUrl?: string;
+
+    /**
+     * Base URL of the DCM API Gateway.
+     *
+     * @deprecated Use `apiUrl` instead. This key remains supported for
+     * backward compatibility during migration.
+     *
+     * @example "http://localhost:9080" (legacy API gateway port)
      * @visibility backend
      */
     apiGatewayUrl?: string;
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.test.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.test.ts
index 3a57201593..b00e48af42 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.test.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.test.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
     fetchSpy?.mockRestore();
   });
 
-  it('returns 503 when dcm.apiGatewayUrl is not configured', async () => {
+  it('returns 503 when dcm.apiUrl is not configured', async () => {
     const app = makeApp({ dcm: { clientId: 'id', clientSecret: 'secret' } });
 
     const res = await request(app).get('/proxy/providers');
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     const app = makeApp({
       dcm: {
-        apiGatewayUrl: 'https://gateway.example.com',
+        apiUrl: 'https://control-plane.example.com',
         clientId: 'id',
         clientSecret: 'secret',
       },
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     const app = makeApp({
       dcm: {
-        apiGatewayUrl: 'https://gateway.example.com',
+        apiUrl: 'https://control-plane.example.com',
         clientId: 'id',
         clientSecret: 'secret',
       },
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     expect(res.status).toBe(502);
     expect(res.body).toMatchObject({
-      error: expect.stringContaining('DCM API gateway'),
+      error: expect.stringContaining('DCM API'),
     });
   });
 
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     const app = makeApp({
       dcm: {
-        apiGatewayUrl: 'https://gateway.example.com',
+        apiUrl: 'https://control-plane.example.com',
         clientId: 'id',
         clientSecret: 'secret',
       },
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     const app = makeApp({
       dcm: {
-        apiGatewayUrl: 'https://gateway.example.com',
+        apiUrl: 'https://control-plane.example.com',
         clientId: 'id',
         clientSecret: 'secret',
       },
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
 
     const app = makeApp({
       dcm: {
-        apiGatewayUrl: 'https://gateway.example.com',
+        apiUrl: 'https://control-plane.example.com',
         clientId: 'id',
         clientSecret: 'secret',
       },
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ describe('createDcmProxy', () => {
     expect(JSON.parse(upstreamCall[1].body)).toEqual(patch);
   });
 
-  it('handles 204 No Content upstream responses without a body', async () => {
+  it('falls back to legacy dcm.apiGatewayUrl and handles 204 No Content', async () => {
     fetchSpy = jest
       .spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch')
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(TOKEN_RESPONSE)
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.ts
index 76439079c6..d51ebe8b5e 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-backend/src/routes/proxy.ts
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ import { getTokenFromApi } from '../util/tokenUtil';
 const API_BASE_PATH = '/api/v1alpha1';
 
 /**
- * Proxies all `ALL /proxy/*` requests to the DCM API Gateway.
+ * Proxies all `ALL /proxy/*` requests to the DCM control plane.
  *
  * The wildcard path segment is appended to:
- *   `{dcm.apiGatewayUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<wildcardPath>`
+ *   `{dcm.apiUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<wildcardPath>`
  *
  * An SSO bearer token is injected automatically via `tokenUtil`.
  */
@@ -32,24 +32,24 @@ export function createDcmProxy(options: RouterOptions) {
   return async (req: Request, res: Response): Promise<void> => {
     const { logger, config } = options;
 
-    const apiGatewayUrl = config.getOptionalString('dcm.apiGatewayUrl');
-    if (!apiGatewayUrl) {
+    // Prefer dcm.apiUrl (DCM_API_URL); legacy apiGatewayUrl eases migration.
+    const apiUrl =
+      config.getOptionalString('dcm.apiUrl') ??
+      config.getOptionalString('dcm.apiGatewayUrl');
+    if (!apiUrl) {
       logger.error(
-        'dcm.apiGatewayUrl is not configured — cannot proxy DCM API requests.',
+        'dcm.apiUrl is not configured — cannot proxy DCM API requests.',
       );
       res
         .status(503)
-        .json({ error: 'DCM API gateway is not configured on the server.' });
+        .json({ error: 'DCM API is not configured on the server.' });
       return;
     }
 
     // req.params[0] is the captured wildcard after /proxy/
     const wildcardPath = (req.params as Record<string, string>)[0] ?? '';
 
-    const targetUrl = new URL(
-      `${API_BASE_PATH}/${wildcardPath}`,
-      apiGatewayUrl,
-    );
+    const targetUrl = new URL(`${API_BASE_PATH}/${wildcardPath}`, apiUrl);
 
     // Forward all query parameters from the original request
     const incomingParams = new URLSearchParams(
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ export function createDcmProxy(options: RouterOptions) {
 
     // Only attach the Authorization header when an SSO token was obtained.
     // When clientId/clientSecret are not configured the token is empty and
-    // the request is forwarded without auth (open/unauthenticated gateway).
+    // the request is forwarded without auth (open/unauthenticated API).
     if (tokenResult.accessToken) {
       requestHeaders.Authorization = `Bearer ${tokenResult.accessToken}`;
     }
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ export function createDcmProxy(options: RouterOptions) {
       });
     } catch (err) {
       logger.error(`DCM proxy: upstream fetch failed — ${err}`);
-      res.status(502).json({ error: 'Failed to reach the DCM API gateway.' });
+      res.status(502).json({ error: 'Failed to reach the DCM API.' });
       return;
     }
 
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/CatalogClient.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/CatalogClient.ts
index 6f7f651f6d..2bc2e3500b 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/CatalogClient.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/CatalogClient.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import { DcmBaseClient } from './DcmBaseClient';
  *
  * All requests are sent to `/api/dcm/proxy/<path>` where the backend
  * strips the `/proxy` prefix and forwards to:
- *   `{dcm.apiGatewayUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
+ *   `{dcm.apiUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
  *
  * @public
  */
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/DcmBaseClient.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/DcmBaseClient.ts
index 08a3ccec13..88b4d3e6bd 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/DcmBaseClient.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/DcmBaseClient.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ const PLUGIN_ID = 'dcm';
  * Base class shared by all DCM API clients.
  *
  * Routes every call through the dcm-backend secure proxy:
- *   `GET /api/dcm/proxy/<path>` → `{dcm.apiGatewayUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
+ *   `GET /api/dcm/proxy/<path>` → `{dcm.apiUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
  *
  * @public
  */
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/PolicyManagerClient.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/PolicyManagerClient.ts
index 4f32282e80..ab1fa58c6f 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/PolicyManagerClient.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/PolicyManagerClient.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { DcmBaseClient } from './DcmBaseClient';
  *
  * All requests are sent to `/api/dcm/proxy/<path>` where the backend
  * strips the `/proxy` prefix and forwards to:
- *   `{dcm.apiGatewayUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
+ *   `{dcm.apiUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
  *
  * @public
  */
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ProvidersClient.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ProvidersClient.ts
index 77155ae45a..8b26331ae7 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ProvidersClient.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ProvidersClient.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { DcmBaseClient } from './DcmBaseClient';
  *
  * All requests are sent to `/api/dcm/proxy/<path>` where the backend
  * strips the `/proxy` prefix and forwards to:
- *   `{dcm.apiGatewayUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
+ *   `{dcm.apiUrl}/api/v1alpha1/<path>`
  *
  * @public
  */
diff --git a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ResourcesClient.ts b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ResourcesClient.ts
index cb6becc0a2..85ea304549 100644
--- a/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ResourcesClient.ts
+++ b/workspaces/dcm/plugins/dcm-common/src/clients/ResourcesClient.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import type {
  * Default implementation of {@link ResourcesApi}.
  *
  * Routes calls through the dcm-backend secure proxy to the
- * `/service-type-instances` endpoint of the DCM API Gateway.
+ * `/service-type-instances` endpoint of the DCM control plane.
  *
  * @public
  */