The 2024 state of internal developer portal report

Internal Developer Portals (IDPs) have gained significant attention as a pivotal tool for enhancing platform engineering, notably recognized in Gartner's Hype Cycle for Software Engineering 2023. These portals aim to reduce the cognitive load on developers, boost productivity, and improve engineering standards. Despite their growing importance, the adoption of IDPs is still in its early stages, with varied implementations and understanding among organizations. A survey of 100 engineering leaders from the US and Western Europe revealed that while 85% of companies have either implemented or plan to implement a portal, misconceptions about what constitutes a true developer portal persist. Many organizations mistakenly equate spreadsheets and self-service CI platforms with IDPs, highlighting the nascent state of the market. The survey also found that most companies prefer using surveys or custom reports over established frameworks like SPACE or DORA to measure productivity. Without robust platform engineering, developers spend excessive time on non-core tasks, highlighting the need for effective developer portals to drive productivity and efficiency. However, only a third of respondents currently use portals to enhance engineering standards, underscoring the potential for further development and understanding in this area.