Platform Engineering: Elevating Software Development with Self-Service Platforms
The blog encapsulates the following
We are in an era where everything—from our gadgets to the apps —is advancing at lightning speed. Behind the scenes, developers are crafting these tools, constantly pushing for better solutions to meet growing demands. However, the journey isn’t always smooth for our developers. While DevOps has revolutionized software delivery with faster, continuous deployment, it also brings challenges for developers. Imagine being in the middle of writing a seamless piece of code, only to be interrupted by tasks like infrastructure setup, resource management, or troubleshooting issues. It is frustrating!
Developers often wish these tasks could be streamlined or handled separately—and that’s where Platform Engineering comes in. It provides a system that equips developers with everything they need in one unified platform, allowing them to work faster and more efficiently. By automating tasks like infrastructure provisioning and offering instant access to tools and resources, platform engineering simplifies the development process, freeing up time for what really matters – writing good code.
Let’s explore the basics of platform engineering, its benefits, and why it’s becoming essential for software teams worldwide.
What is Platform Engineering?
Platform Engineering is a modern approach to software development in which engineers create and maintain an internal platform that simplifies developers’ work. Instead of waiting for specialized teams to set up servers or manage databases, Platform Engineering gives developers the autonomy to access these resources on their own, using pre-defined tools and systems.
Gartner predicts by 2026, 80%1 of software engineering organizations will establish platform engineering teams to support developers, highlighting the growing importance of this field. Many companies have already leveraged platform engineering and according to reports, this self-service platform has shown a commendable 42.4%2 increase in product delivery.
What goes into making Platform Engineering such an incredible tool for developers? Let’s see.
Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs)
At the heart of Platform Engineering is the concept of Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs), a robust infrastructure layer that streamlines development workflows. An IDP provides a comprehensive suite of tools, services, and pre-configured environments tailored to support the full software lifecycle. It automates provisioning, scaling, and configuration management. By offering standardized templates, reusable components, and self-service capabilities, an IDP abstracts away complex infrastructure management tasks, enabling developers to access APIs, databases, and CI/CD pipelines without manual intervention.
To facilitate seamless integration, IDPs often work with popular orchestration tools like Kubernetes for container management, enabling developers to focus on deploying and managing microservices at scale. Additionally, they provide real-time monitoring, alerting, and logging systems, which improve visibility into infrastructure performance, making it easier to troubleshoot issues.
Figure 1: Internal Development Platform
Other Key Elements of Platform Engineering
Other than IDP, Platform engineering involves other components designed to simplify developers’ tasks. Some key elements include:
- Infrastructure Provisioning: It automates infrastructure setup through Infrastructure as Code (IaC), making it repeatable and scalable, eliminating the need for manual IT intervention.
- Developer Experience (DevX): It enhances developer experience by simplifying workflows with tools and templates.
- Customizable Platforms: Unlike pre-built solutions like Platform as a Service (PaaS), platform engineering allows teams to build a platform that fits their specific needs. This level of customization is especially important for organizations with unique workflows or security requirements.
- Automation and Simplicity: Automation of repetitive tasks, such as deployments and monitoring, reduces developer workload, minimizes errors, and ensures smoother processes.
- Security and Compliance: Built-in compliance and security controls ensure that developers don’t need to handle security issues, maintaining organizational standards seamlessly.
Platform engineers play a crucial role in effectively implementing these elements. They view software developers as internal clients and build systems to help their peers work more efficiently. They focus on creating developer-centric solutions that simplify coding and implementing security and compliance measures to ensure everything remains protected.
Real-World Impact of Platform Engineering
Platform engineering is rapidly gaining traction in the industry. A survey by Puppet found that 60% of high-performing software teams3 had already adopted some form of platform engineering. Companies that have embraced this approach report improved productivity, better collaboration between teams, and faster time-to-market for their products. The numbers are promising, let us see the real-world scenario!
One important example of platform engineering is that of Netflix. They have built a powerful Internal Developer Platform (IDP) called Titus, which manages container-based applications and helps engineers deploy and scale their services efficiently. Built on Kubernetes and integrated with Netflix’s unique microservices architecture, this platform handles scaling, monitoring, and automation in the background.
The Future of Software Development
Platform Engineering is transforming the way software teams operate by simplifying infrastructure management and enhancing the overall developer experience. The future of software development lies in building platforms that enable developers to focus on what they do best: writing code and creating solutions. With platform engineering, we’re one step closer to achieving that goal.
At V2Solutions, we have always explored and worked with the latest technology trends; platform engineering is no exception. We have crafted our platforms with the help of talented engineers, who have streamlined and accelerated our software deliverables, allowing our developers to focus on their work.
Connect with us today to learn more about leveraging Platform Engineering and maximizing your development team’s potential.