Who Are Platform Engineers, and What Do They Do?

Platform engineers build and maintain the infrastructure and development environments that enable software teams to efficiently deploy, scale, and manage applications. They focus on improving developer productivity and ensuring systems are reliable, scalable, and secure. They often work with cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code (IaC), monitoring systems, and automation.?

Their key responsibilities include:

1. Building platforms: designing and implementing scalable platforms for development, testing, and production.
2. Automation: creating scripts and tools to automate tasks such as deployments, scaling, and monitoring.
3. Infrastructure Management: Using IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, AWS CloudFormation) to define and manage infrastructure.
4. CI/CD Pipelines: Building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines to ensure smooth code deployments.
5. Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Setting up monitoring and alerting for system health, debugging issues in the infrastructure or platform.
6. Collaboration: Working closely with developers, DevOps engineers, and IT to optimize platform usage.

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Prerequisites to Become a Platform Engineer

Here’s what you’ll need to be familiar with before stepping into the role:

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1. Foundational Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of Linux and basic system administration.
• Networking fundamentals (DNS, TCP/IP, VPNs, etc.).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).

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2. Programming Skills:

• Scripting languages such as Bash, Python, or Go.
• Basic software engineering principles (writing clean, efficient code).?

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3. DevOps and Automation:

• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI).
• Familiarity with IaC tools (Terraform, Ansible, Puppet).
• Experience with containerization tools like Docker and orchestration tools like Kubernetes.

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4. Version Control:

• Experience using Git and collaborating in a team setting.

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5. Monitoring & Observability:

• Familiarity with monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog for system observability.

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6. Collaboration and Communication:

• As you’ll work with different teams, good collaboration and problem-solving skills are essential.

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Platform Engineer Roadmap

Here’s a high-level roadmap to guide your learning:

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?1. Foundations (1-2 months)

• Learn Linux (system administration, shell scripting).
• Get comfortable with version control systems like Git.
• Learn cloud basics (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Learn Python or Go for scripting and automation.

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?2. DevOps and Automation Tools (2-4 months)

• Understand CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI).
• Explore Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Learn about Docker and containerization.

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?3. Cloud Platforms (2-3 months)

• Pick one cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP) and master its core services:
• Compute (EC2, GKE)
• Storage (S3, Cloud Storage)
• Networking (VPC, Load Balancers)
• Security (IAM, KMS)

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?4. Kubernetes and Orchestration (2-3 months)

• Learn Kubernetes fundamentals: pods, services, configuration maps, and secrets.
• Deploy applications using Helm charts.
• Explore orchestration tools and managed Kubernetes services.

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?5. Monitoring and Observability (1-2 months)

• Set up Prometheus for monitoring.
• Learn how to create dashboards with Grafana.
• Explore log management with ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana).

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?6. Hands-On Projects (ongoing)

• Build a CI/CD pipeline from scratch.
• Create IaC scripts to deploy infrastructure on AWS/GCP.
• Deploy a Kubernetes cluster and set up monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana.?

Learning Resources

Here are some curated learning resources:

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1. Linux & Networking:

Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible by Richard Blum.

Networking basics: Networking for Beginners (YouTube).

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2. Cloud Platforms:

AWS Training and Certification (free tier + certification track).

Google Cloud Training (Coursera: GCP Associate Cloud Engineer).

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3. Programming/Scripting:

Python for DevOps by Noah Gift.

Go by Example (for Go programming): https://gobyexample.com?

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4. Infrastructure as Code (IaC):

Terraform: Terraform Up & Running by Yevgeniy Brikman.

YouTube tutorials: “Learn Terraform in 10 minutes” or longer sessions.

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5. CI/CD:

Jenkins User Documentation.

Learn GitLab CI from free GitLab resources: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/

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6. Kubernetes:

Kubernetes Up & Running by Kelsey Hightower.

Tutorials: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tutorials

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7. Monitoring:

Prometheus documentation: https://prometheus.io/docs/introduction/

Grafana tutorials: https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/getting-started/

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Future of Platform Engineering (Google Trends)

Future of Platform Engineering

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Platform engineering is predicted to grow significantly. According to Gartner, by 2026, over 80% of software organizations will have dedicated platform teams. The role is becoming increasingly central in the DevOps landscape, with a focus on reusable components, automation, and reducing complexity for developers.?

Additionally, AI is expected to play a huge role in platform engineering, especially in DevOps automation and optimization. By 2027, it is estimated that AI will augment many aspects of the software development lifecycle, from deployment to monitoring.?

In summary, the platform engineering role is set for rapid growth, driven by the increasing complexity of cloud environments and the demand for scalable, self-service platforms.