An introduction to platform engineering – what you need to know

Platform engineering is an emerging discipline focused on creating internal developer platforms tailored to the needs of software development teams, with Gartner predicting that 80% of software engineering organizations will adopt it by 2026. These platforms aim to enhance developer efficiency by providing standardized tools and workflows, thereby fostering collaboration and reducing operational complexity. A platform engineering team, often including DevOps engineers and product managers, must maintain a consultative approach, ensuring ongoing communication with developer teams to prevent the creation of silos and to keep the platform relevant and useful. Key challenges include maintaining robust documentation, addressing skill gaps among teams, and ensuring clear goals and missions for the platform. When implemented effectively, platform engineering can lead to faster development cycles, easier scaling, and improved productivity.