Day Two Cloud 199: Platform Engineering With Suzanne Daniels
Jun 14, 2023
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Suzanne Daniels, Developer Relations Lead at Port, discusses platform engineering and internal developer portals. Topics include treating technology as a product, incorporating fin ups and scorecards, integration and aggregation, choosing between building, open-source, and buying a product, and exploring developer resources.
Platform engineering treats technology as a product and developers as customers, resulting in a more efficient and effective workflow.
Internal developer portals serve as centralized hubs for developers to discover, collaborate, and self-serve on their development needs, enhancing productivity and promoting collaboration within organizations.
Deep dives
Platform Engineering as an Evolution of DevOps
Platform engineering is described as an evolution of DevOps, where organizations that are already DevOps intensive might consider adopting platform engineering as the next stage of maturing their offered platforms. Platform engineering involves building and approaching platforms as products, and treating developers as customers. This can be achieved by building internal developer portals that provide self-service capabilities, offering an organized and centralized place for developers to find projects, APIs, documentation, and other valuable information. The goal is to enhance the developer experience and improve collaboration and innovation within an organization.
Defining Internal Developer Portals
An internal developer portal is a dedicated platform where developers can find and access information, projects, documentation, and resources within an organization. It serves as a centralized hub for developers to discover, collaborate, and self-serve on their development needs. The portal can integrate various tooling and provide self-service capabilities for developers to easily spin up and manage environments, access APIs, and track the progress and health of their projects. The goal is to enhance developer productivity, promote collaboration, and provide a seamless experience for developers within the organization.
Build vs. Buy: Choosing the Right Approach
When deciding whether to build or buy an internal developer portal, organizations need to consider the investment, resources, and their specific requirements. Building an internal developer portal in-house allows maximum customization and control, but requires ongoing maintenance and support. Open-source solutions like Backstage provide a foundation for building a developer portal, and organizations can customize it to their needs. On the other hand, commercial solutions like Port offer ready-to-use developer portals that may provide faster value and convenience, but with less customization. Organizations should evaluate their needs, available resources, and long-term goals to make an informed decision on the best approach.
Benefits and Use Cases of Internal Developer Portals
Internal developer portals can bring several benefits to organizations, including improved collaboration, streamlined workflows, accelerated innovation, and enhanced developer experience. They are valuable in organizations with complex systems, microservices architectures, and dispersed tooling, providing a centralized platform for sharing knowledge and accessing resources. Internal developer portals are particularly useful for organizations that prioritize agility, rapid product development, and efficient onboarding of new developers. However, the need for an internal developer portal depends on the organization's specific context, priorities, and goals, and should be evaluated accordingly.
Welcome to this episode of Day Two Cloud! Today, we'll be diving into the world of platform engineering and internal developer portals. Our special guest, Suzanne Daniels, Developer Relations Lead at Port, will be sharing her insights on how platform engineering can take your DevOps journey to the next level. With platform engineering, you can treat technology as a product and developers as customers, resulting in a more efficient and effective workflow.
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