Unburden your developers by shifting workloads onto internal developer platforms (IDPs). Google Cloud’s comprehensive suite of managed services and Golden Paths make it easy to build, manage, and scale IDPs.
Overview
Platform engineering is the practice of designing and maintaining an internal developer platform (IDP) to equip software engineering teams with Golden Paths.
An IDP, or internal developer platform, is a set of tools and technologies that abstract away technical complexities so developers can self-service and reduce their cognitive load.
To get the most out of your IDPs, dedicated platform engineering teams should treat them like products—and developers should be treated like customers. An IDP may or may not include a developer portal, which is a central interface for developers to access the platform.
Golden Paths are templates and automation for commonly performed tasks.
Golden Paths should be self-service via the IDP, well documented, and make it easy for developers to independently execute tasks in a standardized way. A Golden Path should always be defined and built in close partnership with the customers of the IDP—your developers. This collaboration is a core tenet of platform engineering; teams must work together to find, build, and refine the solution that works best for them.
Platform engineering and DevOps are complementary practices that work together to achieve faster software delivery and improved reliability and security. Platform engineering codifies DevOps practices in Golden Paths, allowing developers to follow best practices without having to be experts.
Shifting responsibilities down from the developer to the IDP doesn’t have to stop there—by building your platform on Google Cloud, you can unlock the full potential of automation, enhanced security, increased productivity, and accelerated time to market. With Google Cloud’s robust infrastructure and comprehensive suite of managed services that act as building blocks for IDPs, platform teams can easily and quickly deliver value to their developers.
How It Works
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to platform engineering—the value and benefits come from the shift in mindset and collaboration between teams that’s required to successfully define and build a platform.
These platforms should be delivered as a product, with ongoing developer feedback, and designed for the full service life cycle.