How Does DevOps Compare to Platform Engineering?
I got nerd-sniped yesterday by an article in not-so-many words that said:
DevOps is Dead. Platform engineering is the new kid on the block.
An aggressive photo leads to a few questions.
- Why not both?
- What would gold-standard platform engineering look like without fundamental DevOps practices?
- How does a mentality of deploying scalable software compare to a software architecture design pattern?
It doesn’t.
So to straighten things out, let’s talk about platform engineering and how it should be more like:
Cool, now let’s talk about platform engineering.
What is Platform engineering?
Platform engineering is the process of designing and developing software platforms. A platform is a system that other applications or systems can use to perform a specific function or set of parts. Platforms are often considered software frameworks but can also be hardware-based, such as an operating system or a group of APIs.
As the need for more complex and scalable software systems has increased, so need for platform engineers. Platform engineers typically have a strong background in software engineering, with experience in designing and building software applications.
Why do we need platform engineering?
The answer is simple: because platforms are complex. They need to be designed for extensibility and modularity so that other developers can easily extend and customize them.
They also need to be scalable to handle large numbers of users and large amounts of data. And they need to be reliable to provide a consistent user experience.
All of these requirements make platform engineering a challenge. But it’s a challenge that’s worth taking on because platforms have the potential to provide immense value to customers.
Why platform engineering will grow in popularity.
As more companies move to cloud service providers like AWS, Google, and Azure, there becomes an increased amount of tooling to be able to build features for their customers.
As the amount of these features grows, it becomes increasingly important to have a foundational platform to be able to build on top of.
Next time you search for a new application to add to your lifestyle, pay attention to how many different features and services it offers. As the amount of services increases, there becomes an increased need for reliably and being able to ensure that you as the user are the same user throughout each of the individual services.
How do you become a platform engineer?
While there are classic ways to get into the world of platform engineering, these are some modern skillsets needed to begin a career in platform engineering:
- Python
- Full-Stack Web Development
- Linux
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- AWS, Google, Azure
- Infrastructure as Code
Conclusion
WOW, JUST THOSE THINGS?!?! The good news is there are plenty of sound engineers ready to help people get into the beautiful world of platform engineering and DevOps. As the world of cloud engineering grows, we will need more people to build these platforms!
