ITNEXT·1yStop Building Platforms Nobody Uses: Pick the Right Kubernetes Abstraction with GitOps
Building effective Kubernetes platforms requires understanding developer pain points and reducing complexity. Many internal developer platforms fail due to low adoption and increased cognitive load. Tools like Kro, Score, and GitOps can create efficient abstractions, streamline workflows, and improve developer satisfaction. The key is to select the right tools and abstraction layers empathetically.
Salesforce Engineering·28wArchitecting Multi-System Production Platform
Salesforce built Digital Wallet, a consumption-based pricing platform serving 15,000+ organizations and generating $400M+ in annual contract value. The engineering team overcame significant challenges as Data Cloud's first customer, including implementing SOX-compliant metadata security through Strict System Mode, building a custom event subscriber processing 20M daily events, and architecting failover strategies for near real-time usage tracking. The platform integrates multiple systems using fan-out mechanisms for entitlement sync, implements Spark job failover between EMR-on-EKS and EMR-on-EC2 to avoid rate limits, and maintains billing accuracy through architectural separation of hourly customer-facing updates from monthly financial reconciliation. The system includes high-cardinality monitoring, automatic retry logic, and a month-long buffer for usage reconciliation before billing.
ITNEXT·1yHow to Build a Multi-Tenancy Internal Developer Platform with GitOps and vCluster
This post explores building a multi-tenant internal developer platform (IDP) using a self-service approach with Kubernetes, GitOps, and vCluster. It clarifies the roles of platform engineering and managed infrastructure teams, explains the layers of an IDP, and provides a hands-on guide for setting up and managing the platform. Additionally, it promotes an upcoming webinar showcasing a technical demo and offering insights into multi-tenant Kubernetes environments.
Supabase·23wIntroducing Supabase for Platforms
Supabase launches a white-label platform offering that enables companies to provision and manage fully managed backends for their users. The service includes database, auth, edge functions, storage, and realtime capabilities, with features like zero-scaling compute instances, embedded dashboard components via Platform Kit, and project transfer capabilities. AI builders like Lovable and Bolt.new are already using it to create millions of projects. Platforms can manage infrastructure centrally or let users bring their own Supabase accounts through OAuth integration.
The Architect Elevator·22wBeing an architect isn’t the sum of skills. It’s the product.
Effective architects must master the intersection of multiple skill domains rather than simply accumulating separate capabilities. Architecture requires synthesizing technical expertise, communication skills, business understanding, and people management into a unified force-multiplying capability. The role demands being a technical communicator who can present complex trade-offs to executives, a technical leader who multiplies team effectiveness, and a platform builder who bridges business and technology domains. Success comes from the product of these skills working together, not their sum.
ITNEXT·1yFrom CI to Kubernetes Catalog: Building a Composable Platform with GitOps and vCluster
This post provides a comprehensive guide for platform engineers to build reusable and self-service Kubernetes environments using GitOps and vCluster. It emphasizes a modular approach, similar to construction, applying principles like standardization, automation, and reusable patterns. The post explores how tools like Helm, Score, Kro, and Argo CD can be integrated into creating a scalable Internal Developer Platform. Developers are empowered with pre-built templates and abstraction layers, minimizing complexity and effort when deploying applications.
Mercari Engineering·23wEnhancing Developer Experience through Mercari’s Unified Platform Interface
Mercari built Single Front Door (SFD), a unified platform interface that consolidates multiple developer tools and workflows into a single entry point. The system uses Argo Workflows to execute GitOps operations through CLI or AI-powered IDE integrations via Model Context Protocol. Key technical challenges included implementing OAuth-based credential management to maintain proper access control at scale, and configuring IAM with Kubernetes RBAC for secure access to external services like GCP and GitHub. The platform aims to become a modular workflow engine with reusable building blocks for infrastructure provisioning, service configuration, and CI/CD operations.
Earthly·32wBackstage Adoption Guide: When to Use Spotify's Developer-Portal Framework
Based on interviews with 20+ engineering teams, this guide examines when Backstage (Spotify's open-source developer portal framework) makes sense for organizations. Backstage works best for teams with 30+ engineers, multiple microservices, and 3-5 dedicated maintainers who can handle React/TypeScript. The framework isn't free despite being open-source—expect $380-650k annually for DIY implementation versus $84k for managed alternatives. Common pitfalls include underestimating frontend skill requirements, forcing 100% adoption, and lacking executive sponsorship. Success requires focusing on specific pain points (onboarding, service scaffolding, documentation), measuring ROI through metrics like time-to-first-PR and MTTR, and treating the portal as an internal product with iterative rollouts.
GamesIndustry.biz·26wThe Steam Machine could be an industry turning point | Opinion
Valve's upcoming Steam Machine represents a strategic challenge to both Microsoft and Sony in the console market, leveraging a decade of development on Steam Deck and SteamOS. The device combines competitive pricing with access to extensive Steam libraries and a Linux-based OS that outperforms Windows in gaming benchmarks through lower overhead and the Proton emulation layer. This timing particularly impacts Microsoft's pivot toward Xbox-Windows integration, as Valve's approach offers similar PC-console hybrid functionality at mass-market prices. The Steam Deck served as a crucial testbed, proving that optimized software can deliver strong gaming performance on modest hardware specs.
KodeKloud's Squad·48wPeriodic Table of Cloud & DevOps Tools
A comprehensive visual guide showcasing 80+ DevOps and cloud tools organized across 12 domains, highlighting how the DevOps landscape has evolved beyond traditional tools like Jenkins and Docker. The guide emphasizes modern practices including GitOps workflows, built-in security, platform engineering, comprehensive observability, and cloud-native architectures. Rather than mastering all tools, the recommendation is to understand one tool per category and its role in the broader ecosystem.
Medium·28wBuilding a Kubernetes Platform — Think Big, Think in Planes
Introduces a mental model for building Internal Developer Platforms by thinking in horizontal 'planes' rather than vertical layers. Explains five key planes (Developer, Integration/Delivery, Monitoring/Logging, Security, and Resource) and provides deep dives into Control, Observability, and Service planes. Uses OpenChoreo as a case study to demonstrate how this architecture enables scalable, secure-by-default platforms that centralize control while distributing scale across multiple Kubernetes clusters.
Faun·44wThe Platform Engineer Starter Kit
Platform engineering teams build and operate Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) that serve as self-service infrastructure for development teams. They focus on developer experience by creating golden paths, abstracting complexity, providing reusable building blocks, and measuring success through developer happiness and velocity. Unlike traditional ops roles, platform engineers act as product managers for internal tools, designing feedback loops and working closely with SREs while maintaining the balance between abstraction and flexibility.
HashiCorp·44wAI is making developers faster, but at a cost
Google's 2024 DORA report reveals that AI coding tools increase code review speed by 3.1% and quality by 3.4%, but cause a 7.2% reduction in delivery stability. The instability stems from AI's limited understanding of broader system context, reinforcement of outdated patterns, and security vulnerabilities like hardcoded secrets. Organizations can mitigate these issues through platform engineering practices including secure infrastructure modules, centralized secrets management, unified visibility systems, and golden images with pre-approved workflows.
YouTube·44wDevops is Dying
DevOps engineer job postings and salaries are declining, but this reflects the evolution of DevOps skills being absorbed into specialized roles like platform engineering, SRE, and cloud engineering. The core DevOps skills remain highly valuable and in-demand, but companies now prefer hands-on experience and real-world projects over certifications. Engineers who can demonstrate production-grade automation, infrastructure as code, and deployment skills across various specialized roles will have the best career opportunities.
Pulumi·1yPlatform Engineering: Mastering Infrastructure Provisioning
Consistent infrastructure provisioning is crucial to platform engineering, enabling self-service, governance, and efficient developer workflows. By version-controlling infrastructure, automating deployments, separating environments, and using reusable modules, teams can ensure reliable and maintainable infrastructure. Following best practices, such as avoiding console-only changes and hard-coded secrets, can prevent common IaC mistakes. Building on a solid IaC foundation with service templates and automated CI/CD workflows further supports innovation and reduces deployment failures.
Giant Swarm·29wThe Gateway API shift: how Kubernetes networking actually works at scale
Gateway API is replacing Kubernetes Ingress as the standard for traffic management at scale. Unlike Ingress, which relies on controller-specific annotations and lacks proper role separation, Gateway API provides a structured model with GatewayClass, Gateway, and Route resources that enable platform teams to manage infrastructure while application teams control routing rules. It supports advanced features like GRPC routing, service mesh integration through GAMMA, and safe cross-namespace delegation via ReferenceGrant. The API includes conformance testing for portability across controllers and vendors, making it suitable for multi-cluster, multi-team enterprise environments where consistent, scalable networking is critical.
Spacelift·37w12 Biggest DevOps Challenges in 2025 (and How to Fix Them)
DevOps teams in 2025 face 12 major challenges including cultural resistance, security vulnerabilities, tool selection paralysis, developer access barriers, poor visibility, governance difficulties, cost overruns, CI/CD performance issues, scalability problems, metric selection confusion, skill shortages, and over-focusing on tools rather than people. Solutions include clear communication for cultural change, implementing DevSecOps practices, structured tool evaluation processes, building internal developer platforms, comprehensive monitoring strategies, policy-as-code governance, centralized cost tracking, pipeline optimization, scalability planning, focusing on DORA metrics, continuous upskilling programs, and maintaining a people-first approach to DevOps implementation.
Faun·41wHow We Built Our First Golden Path: A Platform Engineering Story
A practical guide to building the first golden path in platform engineering, focusing on creating a streamlined backend service deployment process. The story emphasizes starting with developer journeys rather than tools, treating the platform as a product with feedback loops, and scaling through trust rather than mandates. Key lessons include choosing principles before technology, building one perfect path before scaling, and maintaining simplicity while gathering continuous feedback from development teams.
TechCrunch·30wAutomattic CEO calls Tumblr his ‘biggest failure’ so far
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg acknowledged Tumblr as his biggest failure, citing the platform's unprofitability despite hosting over 500 million blogs. Plans to migrate Tumblr to WordPress infrastructure remain on hold due to high costs and the platform's inability to generate sufficient revenue. The company has attempted cost-cutting through layoffs and resource reallocation, but Tumblr continues to be sustained by profits from other Automattic products. Mullenweg also discussed ongoing projects including WordPress Playground, Beeper messaging app expansion, and the ongoing legal dispute with WP Engine over open source contributions.
DevOps Toolkit·1yFrom Zero to Fully Operational Developer Platform in 5 Steps!
This tutorial explains the process of building a fully operational internal developer platform (IDP) in five steps. It covers the principles and components necessary for developer platforms, combining open-source tools and Kubernetes to create a customizable platform. The video aims to provide both mandatory and optional components, including state management, APIs, and policies, with examples of tools like Crossplane, GitHub Actions, and Backstage.