Andrii Bidochko

• April 2, 2023
• 7 min read

Platform Engineering 101: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking to optimize your software development process and improve the quality of your product? Look no further than platform engineering.

In today’s digital age, the importance of platform engineering cannot be overstated. In fact, platform engineering is at the heart of every successful digital enterprise, and it is crucial to understand its core concepts in order to succeed in the competitive world of technology.

Platform engineering refers to the process of creating, developing, and maintaining a software platform that provides a foundation for building various applications and services. It involves designing, deploying, and managing the software infrastructure that enables businesses to develop, test, and deliver their products and services efficiently.

In this article, we will provide an in-depth understanding of platform engineering and its various components, as well as tips on how to build a robust platform that can handle large-scale digital operations.

What is Platform Engineering?

Platform engineering is the process of designing, building, and maintaining the infrastructure that supports your software applications. This infrastructure includes everything from the hardware and network components to the development tools and processes.

Platform engineers typically offer an all-in-one product known as an “Internal Developer Platform” that encompasses the operational requirements of an application throughout its entire lifecycle.

The goal of platform engineering is to create a platform that enables your development team to work more efficiently and effectively. This involves providing a standardized set of tools, processes, and technologies that can be used across your entire organization.

The Importance of Platform Engineering

In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses must quickly adapt to changing customer demands, new technologies, and emerging market trends. To do so, they need a reliable and flexible software platform that can support the rapid development and deployment of new products and services.

There are many benefits to investing in platform engineering. Here are just a few:

1. Increased Efficiency: By providing a standardized set of tools and processes, platform engineering can help your development team work more efficiently. This can lead to faster development cycles and improved time-to-market.
2. Improved Quality: A well-designed platform can help ensure that your software is developed to a high standard of quality. By providing a set of best practices and guidelines, platform engineering can help prevent bugs and other issues from arising.
3. Scalability: A platform that is designed with scalability in mind can help your software applications grow as your business grows. This can help you avoid costly infrastructure upgrades and ensure that your applications can handle increased traffic and usage.

Key Components of Platform Engineering

Platform engineering involves various components, each of which is critical to building a successful software platform. Let’s take a look at some of the most important components.

Architecture Design

The architecture design is the foundation of any software platform. It involves defining the structure, components, and modules of the platform and how they interact with each other. The architecture design must be flexible, scalable, and resilient, to meet the changing needs of the business.

Infrastructure Management

Infrastructure management involves deploying and managing the software infrastructure that supports the platform, such as servers, databases, and network devices. It also includes managing the platform’s security, monitoring, and disaster recovery capabilities.

DevOps Processes

DevOps processes involve automating the software development and deployment processes to speed up the delivery of new products and services. It involves continuous integration, testing, and deployment of code, as well as collaboration between development and operations teams.

Data Management

Data management involves managing the data used by the platform, including storage, retrieval, and analysis. It also includes ensuring data security, privacy, and compliance with relevant regulations.

Platform Services

Platform services are the various services and tools that are built on top of the software platform. These services include APIs, analytics tools, and automation tools, which enable developers to build and deploy applications quickly and efficiently.

When Should You Invest in Platform Engineering?

Platform engineering is not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are certain scenarios in which investing in platform engineering makes more sense than others. Here are some signs that it may be time to invest in platform engineering:

1. Growing Complexity: If your software applications are becoming more complex, it may be time to invest in platform engineering. A well-designed platform can help simplify your development process and ensure that your applications are built to a high standard of quality.
2. Lack of Standardization: If your development team is using a variety of tools and processes, it may be time to invest in platform engineering. By providing a standardized set of tools and processes, you can help ensure that your team is working more efficiently and effectively.
3. Inefficient Development Process: If your development process is taking too long or is prone to errors and other issues, it may be time to invest in platform engineering. A well-designed platform can help streamline your development process and improve the overall quality of your software.

Key Components of a Successful Platform Engineering Strategy

Now that we’ve covered what platform engineering is and why it is important, let’s take a look at the key components of a successful platform engineering strategy:

1. Standardization: A successful platform engineering strategy requires a standardized set of tools, processes, and technologies. This helps ensure that your development team is working more efficiently and effectively.
2. Automation: Platform engineering involves automating many of the tasks associated with software development. This can include everything from automated testing to deployment and scaling.
3. Flexibility: A successful platform engineering strategy needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changing business needs. This means that your platform needs to be designed with scalability and modularity in mind.
4. Monitoring and Analytics: A well-designed platform should include robust monitoring and analytics capabilities. This helps ensure that your software is performing as expected and can help identify issues before they become

Summary

In conclusion, investing in a platform engineering solution is essential for organizations that want to streamline their development process, reduce costs, and improve overall efficiency. However, building and maintaining a platform from scratch can be a daunting and time-consuming task, especially for organizations with limited resources.

This is where UBOS.tech comes in as a ready-made solution for internal developer platforms. Our platform offers a comprehensive set of tools and services designed to simplify the process of building and managing an internal developer platform, allowing organizations to focus on their core business activities.

Additionally, it is worth noting that UBOS is a unique platform that combines traditional development methodologies with low-code/no-code practices. This means that our platform is not only suitable for experienced developers but also for business users with little or no technical expertise.

Our low-code/no-code approach allows organizations to rapidly prototype and deploy new applications, automate workflows, and streamline processes without the need for extensive coding or technical knowledge. This means that organizations can deliver value faster, reduce development costs, and improve overall agility and flexibility.

By combining traditional development methodologies with low-code/no-code practices, UBOS offers a unique platform engineering solution that is both powerful and accessible. Whether you are an experienced developer or a business user with little technical knowledge, UBOS can help you take your development process to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you transform your organization.

Andrii Bidochko

CEO/CTO at UBOS

Welcome! I'm the CEO/CTO of UBOS.tech, a low-code/no-code application development platform designed to simplify the process of creating custom Generative AI solutions. With an extensive technical background in AI and software development, I've steered our team towards a single goal - to empower businesses to become autonomous, AI-first organizations.