Developer Russell Miles explains what a 16th century Belgium printing press company and Kurt Vonnegut can teach us about platform engineering.

The New Stack is a publication covering trends and technologies in cloud-native development, DevOps, and software delivery. Developers can learn about containerization, Kubernetes, and cloud computing, as well as explore topics such as microservices architecture, serverless computing, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

The New Stack

Russell Miles shares three principles for building successful developer platforms based on 25 years of experience. First, platforms require dedicated teams and long-term commitment—they're products, not projects. Second, platforms succeed through their impact and unexpected uses, not just their features. Third, platforms must be habitable and transparent, like a kitchen rather than a cathedral, where developers can see how things work and contribute. The key is listening to developers' needs and building something they can see themselves benefiting from, rather than imposing solutions.

3 Maxims for Great Developer Platform Design

Maxim 1: You Don’t Really Want a Platform

Maxim 2: Platforms Are Not Product Process Alone

<p>Balancing stability with innovation in platform APIs ensures developers can build confidently while benefiting from continual improvements, fostering long-term engagement.</p>
