How DevOps and platform engineering turbocharge efficiency

When it comes to platform engineering and DevOps, it’s not an either/or situation.

To be clear, platform engineering and DevOps are not the same thing. There’s a bit of confusion about the two practices. Does one replace the other? No. Can they work well together? Definitely.

Let’s look at what platform engineering is and how it can work hand-in-hand with a DevOps platform.

DevOps and platform engineering: Differences and benefits

You’re likely pretty familiar with DevOps. It’s a methodology, along with a set of processes and tools, that integrates software developers with operations teams to increase efficiency, speed, and security. DevOps works most effectively on a single end-to-end platform, allowing teams to consolidate an often complex and confusing multitude of tools into a single, complete software development ecosystem.

Platform engineering, on the other hand, is an emerging approach to software development that accelerates production and deployment velocity by providing DevOps teams with a single self-service portal for tools and workflows. By making the day-to-day developer experience more efficient, platform engineering improves team performance, eases the cognitive load on developers, and makes software delivery scalable, faster, and repeatable.

DevOps and platform engineering sound similar. They have similar goals. But think of it this way: DevOps, or a DevOps platform, acts as the framework for platform engineering. And platform engineering is a way to optimize, or turbocharge, a DevOps platform.

Why DevOps and platform engineering work well together

Organizations often adopt platform engineering after their software development teams have already migrated to DevOps. That’s because by using a DevOps platform, with tools and automation already built in, platform engineers don’t have to integrate tools and build their own platform for their processes and methodologies to work on top of. They simply can optimize the single, end-to-end platform already set up for them, saving them a lot of time and labor.

As DevOps grows, there is an increasing call for platform engineers, a bleeding-edge role, in various job listings. A platform engineer, or team, is an extension of the DevOps team, tailoring the DevOps platform for the specific development, security, and compliance needs of specific organizations. Companies are looking for platform engineers with a myriad of skills — from experience with automation to infrastructure as code, cloud deployments, Kubernetes, and secure coding practices.

“Using a DevOps platform is the perfect starting point for platform engineering,” says Cailey Pawlowski, solutions architect at GitLab. “Both are focused on improving the development process and a developer’s experience. They work together.”

How platform engineers can optimize DevOps platforms

Platform engineering is focused on creating efficiencies and optimizations. That means platform teams help the business better serve its customers, stay ahead of competitors, and avoid costly and damaging security incidents.

To help their organizations get the most out of their DevOps platform, platform engineers can:

• use and customize monitoring tools in the DevOps platform to find out when and why bottlenecks are happening, and then fix those problems
• ensure teams aren’t missing out on tools, like vulnerability scanning and access management, in the platform that will help their workflows
• customize tools in the platform, such as finely tuned automation scripts for CI, to fit the organization’s specific needs
• create a list of best practices and then ensure they’re being followed
• set up and customize platform templates to standardize pipelines so developers don’t have to create new pipelines from scratch every time
• build in pipeline efficiencies, such as custom code related to the organization’s infrastructure or a specific app
• configure security and compliance policies to ensure that scans are run at specific times or points in the development process, or are triggered by certain events, such as a pipeline running against a branch
• set up checks and balances for regulation enforcement
• set up regular security audits

How platform engineering helps DevOps teams

By setting up clear steps and guidelines, and by creating efficiencies throughout the software development lifecycle, platform engineers can have a great effect on the DevOps process, as well as on the team.

Here are a few benefits:

• increase development velocity by streamlining workflows
• improve collaboration by giving team members more time and energy to work together
• make building secure software more efficient and consistent
• ease regulatory compliance by setting up training, policies, and checks and balances
• reduce team members’ cognitive load by using automated tools to reduce repetitive, hands-on work
• minimize human error with automation
• make developers happier by easing manual tasks, giving them time and energy to do the creative, challenging work they enjoy

“Platform engineering is about empowering developers,” says Ayoub Fandi, staff field security engineer at GitLab. “It’s about enhancing what a DevOps platform already provides by making sure teams are using all of the tools available and by making the most of them. It’s literally having people dedicated to making developers’ jobs easier.”

Check out this video demo on how platform engineering works.

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Frequently asked questions

How do platform engineering and DevOps complement each other?

Platform engineering enhances DevOps by optimizing tools and workflows within a unified platform, reducing cognitive load on developers, and increasing productivity. While DevOps provides the framework for continuous integration and delivery, platform engineering customizes and standardizes processes, making development more scalable and efficient.

Can platform engineering replace DevOps in software development?

No, platform engineering does not replace DevOps. Instead, it builds on the DevOps framework by providing self-service capabilities and standardizing pipelines. This helps developers focus on coding and innovation while ensuring security and compliance through automation and best practices.

What are the key benefits of implementing platform engineering alongside DevOps?

Key benefits include increased development velocity, improved collaboration, enhanced security and compliance, reduced cognitive load for developers, and minimized human error through automation. By optimizing DevOps tools and processes, platform engineering empowers development teams to build secure software more efficiently.

What skills are needed for platform engineering within a DevOps environment?

Platform engineers require expertise in automation, infrastructure as code, cloud deployments, Kubernetes, and secure coding practices. They also need a strong understanding of DevOps tools and methodologies to effectively customize and optimize workflows for organizational needs.

How can organizations get started with platform engineering to enhance DevOps?

Organizations should begin by evaluating their existing DevOps platform and identifying bottlenecks in their workflows. From there, they can establish a platform engineering team to standardize pipelines, customize tools, and implement automation scripts, ensuring a smooth and efficient development lifecycle.