Thread by @luca_cloud

If you're a platform engineer, there are some "trending" conversations you should be aware of:

* The cognitive (over)load resulting from true #DevOps
* Platform as a product
* Finding the right level of abstraction

Let's discuss 🧵

This thread is courtesy of this #PlatformCon recap from @aeraeris. If you missed the conference, definitely check this out:

thenewstack.io/what-we-learne…

The first convo is about cognitive (over)load. 🧠

I covered this a bit last week. If you haven't seen this thread yet, it's a pretty comprehensive overview:

https://twitter.com/luca_cloud/status/1554735252093943808?s=20&t=Anyq2gsSnTleE1D1ft6iaA

Imo, understanding this cognitive load problem is essential to understanding why most of us wind up building platforms in the first place.

It's what makes platform engineering so compelling and *valuable*.

Platform as a product is also a BIG right now.

In his talk, @TeamTopologies author @manupaisable explains how like any other product, platforms are optional to use, carefully designed to make using them easier and evolve as technology changes.

As such, it's important to apply the same principles and processes to platforms as you would to products.

* Conduct user research
* Create a product roadmap
* Solicit regular feedback
* Market your platform internally

And so on.

I think this product mindset is what sets platform engineering apart from other adjacent disciplines like #DevOps and SRE

AND

Is ultimately what will help platform engineering succeed where DevOps and SRE failed.

Last important convo is about finding the right level of abstraction.

There seems to be two different (but not necessarily mutually exclusive) approaches to this.

On one hand, there are more code-based, declarative approaches inspired by #GitOps workflows.

@humanitec_com's @NilsPfoegelchen demonstrated this approach in his talk:

I also discussed @silphidcom and @nestomortgages' approach in this thread:

https://twitter.com/luca_cloud/status/1555146618873192453?s=20&t=Anyq2gsSnTleE1D1ft6iaA

On the other hand, other teams (like @brianleathem's at @netflix) attempt to reduce cognitive load with UIs on top of their platform setups.

Are there any trending conversations I missed?

Would love to hear from other platform practitioners on this.