Decoding Modern Tech: Cloud, APIs, Wasm, Security, & More • Daniel Bryant & Matt Turner • GOTO 2023

Platform engineering is evolving to simplify complexity, prioritize developer experience, and enable modern technologies like Cloud, APIs, Wasm, and more by providing self-service models, abstractions, and distributed architectures.

Key takeaways
  • Platform engineering is about abstracting away complexity from developers and providing a self-service model for deploying applications.
  • APIs are becoming a key focus area, but there’s a lack of understanding around how to manage them effectively.
  • Cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes, Istio, and Wasm are changing the landscape of platform engineering.
  • The importance of developer experience is being increasingly recognized, and platform teams are being asked to prioritize it.
  • Cognitive load is a significant problem in modern software development, and platform engineering can help alleviate it by providing simpler abstractions and workflows.
  • Wasm is gaining traction as a way to compile multiple languages to a common target, improving portability and interoperability.
  • The concept of “API gateways” is evolving to encompass more than just routing and security, and is becoming a key part of platform engineering.
  • Community education and awareness are essential for the adoption of new technologies and practices.
  • Platforms are becoming more complex, and self-service is becoming more critical for developers to manage their own deployments.
  • Decoupling and abstraction are key principles in modern software development, and platform engineering is enabling this by providing more flexible and composable architectures.
  • Wasm is not just about compiling languages, but also about compiling for multiple execution environments, allowing for more flexibility and reuse.
  • Docker’s success can be attributed to its simplicity and ease of use, making it accessible to a broad range of developers.
  • The concept of “operation-level” programming is becoming more important, and platform engineering is enabling this by providing more control and instrumentation over application runtime behavior.
  • Platforms are becoming more distributed and edge-centric, and platform engineering is playing a critical role in enabling this by providing more robust and scalable architectures.
  • The importance of standardization is being recognized, and platform engineering is enabling this by providing more consistent and shareable abstractions.
  • Cognitive load is a significant problem in modern software development, and platform engineering can help alleviate it by providing simpler abstractions and workflows.