Platform Engineering: A New Paradigm or an Evolution of DevOps?

Introduction

The world is continually evolving. With the advent of DevOps, a methodology emphasising collaboration and communication between software developers and IT professionals, the industry saw a significant shift in how software is developed, deployed, and managed. Recently, a new term has been gaining traction: Platform Engineering. Some industry experts propose that platform engineering is the natural next step in the evolution of DevOps. However, this perspective raises an intriguing question: Can a discipline evolve a paradigm, or does platform engineering represent a distinct approach that builds upon DevOps principles without necessarily being its direct descendant?

Understanding Platform Engineering

Platform Engineering can be understood as creating and managing a platform that provides teams with the tools and capabilities to build, deploy, and operate software applications efficiently. This approach focuses on standardising development environments, automating workflows, and ensuring scalability and reliability.

DevOps: The Foundation for Collaboration and Efficiency

DevOps, a blend of 'Development' and 'Operations,' revolutionised software development by advocating for a collaborative approach. It breaks down silos between teams, emphasising automation, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. DevOps is not just a set of practices but a cultural shift aiming to unify software development (Dev) and software operation (Ops).

Comparing and Contrasting: Platform Engineering and DevOps

1. Scope and Focus: DevOps improves collaboration between development and operations teams to enhance the software delivery process. While building on this foundation, Platform Engineering focuses more on creating a robust, scalable, and efficient platform that encompasses infrastructure, middleware, and shared services.
2. Tooling and Automation: DevOps encourages using tools and automation to streamline the development pipeline. Platform Engineering takes this further by developing platforms that standardise these tools and processes across an organisation, potentially leading to higher efficiency and consistency.
3. Cultural Impact: DevOps is fundamentally a cultural movement, prioritising people over processes and tools. While benefiting from this cultural shift, Platform Engineering leans more towards technological and architectural aspects.
4. End Goals: The primary goal of DevOps is to shorten the development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality. Platform Engineering aims to provide a self-service infrastructure for developers, reducing the operational burden and streamlining the development process.

Is Platform Engineering an Evolution of DevOps?

Arguing that platform engineering is the next evolutionary step of DevOps oversimplifies the relationship between these two concepts. While platform engineering certainly builds upon the principles and practices of DevOps, it introduces a distinct focus on building and managing platforms. This approach represents a convergence of various disciplines, including infrastructure management, software development, and cloud computing.

Applicable Philosophies and References

To further delve into this topic, it's helpful to consider additional references that offer a more profound understanding:

1. "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford: This book provides a foundational understanding of DevOps principles.
2. "Site Reliability Engineering", edited by Betsy Beyer, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff, and Niall Richard Murphy: This book gives insight into how Google approaches operations, closely related to platform engineering.
3. "Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps" by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim: This book offers empirical research backing the effectiveness of DevOps practices.

Conclusion:

Platform Engineering and DevOps, while closely related, should be viewed as complementary rather than sequential. DevOps lays the groundwork for collaboration and agility, which platform engineering builds upon, focusing on the technological and architectural aspects. As the industry continues to evolve, it is crucial to understand both paradigms' distinct values and how they can coexist and enrich each other in the ever-changing landscape of software development and operations.