Platform Engineering for Architects

Crafting modern platforms as a product

Publisher:Packt Publishing Limited

By: Max Körbächer, Andreas Grabner and Hilliary Lipsig

Paid access

|Jan 2025

E-Book €29.99Institutions €128.95

Description

Design and build Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) with future-oriented design strategies, using the Platform as a Product mindset

Key Features

Comprehensive guide to designing platforms that create value and drive user adoption
Expert insights on shifting to a product-centric mindset for architects and platform teams
Best practices for managing platform complexity, reducing technical debt, and ensuring continuous evolution

Book Description

As technology evolves, IT talent shortages and system complexity make it essential to have structured guidance for building scalable, user-focused platforms. This book provides platform engineers and architects with practical strategies to develop internal development platforms that enhance software delivery and operations.
You’ll learn how to identify end users, understand their needs, and define platform goals with a focus on self-service solutions for cloud-native environments. Using real-world examples, the book demonstrates how to build platforms within and for the cloud, leveraging Kubernetes. It also explores the benefits of a product-centric approach to platform engineering, emphasizing early end-user involvement and flexible design principles that adapt to future requirements.
Additionally, the book covers techniques for maintaining a sustainable platform while minimizing technical debt. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to design, define, and implement platform capabilities that align with your organization’s goals.

What you will learn

Make informed decisions aligned with your organization's platform needs
Identify missing platform capabilities and manage that technical debt effectively
Develop critical user journeys to enhance platform functionality
Define platform purpose, principles, and key performance indicators
Use data-driven insights to guide product decisions
Design and implement platform reference and target architectures

Who this book is for

This book is for platform engineers, architects, and DevOps professionals responsible for designing and managing internal development platforms. It is also useful for decision-makers involved in optimizing software delivery and operations in cloud-native environments. Familiarity with cloud computing, Kubernetes, and CI/CD concepts is helpful but not required, as the book provides practical guidance on platform engineering, self-service solutions, and managing technical debt.