Is โ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ข๐ฝ๐โ? Not exactly, no. It is another evolutionary technique to drive quality, security, and time to delivery all while improving developer efficiency. Iโve been noodling on how darned similar the intent of Platform Engineering compared to Framework Architecture from 15 + years ago.
Quite a bit of my recent work is on defining reference architecture (RA)for digital platforms and am seeing some comparisons folks will appreciate. Letโs start with two simplified definitions:
๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ : A reusable components, modules, and capabilities that provides a structure for developing software. It can include libraries and reusable code, predefined classes and functions. ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ: A comprehensive set of software technologies and services that provide the foundation on which other apps, processes, or technologies are developed and run.
๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐: ๐ญ - Purpose: Both frameworks and platforms are designed to simplify and streamline the software development process, acting as a foundation on which software can be built.
๐ฎ - Abstraction: Both provide a level of abstraction, helping developers focus on solving business problems rather than getting entangled in low-level details.
๐ฏ - Modularity: They both encourage modular architecture, promoting code reuse, flexibility, and maintainability.
๐ฐ - Standards: Frameworks and platforms often define a set of standards or conventions that guide development and ensure consistency across the software built on top of them.
๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ - Flexibility vs. Control: Frameworks offer more flexibility as they are less prescriptive, while platforms offer more control by specifying more about the structure, technology stack, and sometimes even the design patterns that should be used.
๐ฎ -Scalability: Platforms usually provide built-in scalability and resilience features that might be absent or need to be manually implemented in frameworks.
๐ฏ - Integration: Platforms often offer out-of-the-box integrations with other systems, services, and platforms, which may need to be built manually when using frameworks.
Frameworks still have a purposes; Platforms are an incredible evolution. DevOps and DevSecOps are enhanced via platforms.
Of course, every business/mission has ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ฉ. Understanding similarities /differences improve informed decisions for your specific needs. The choice always depends on the requirements of your mission, the skills of your team, and the problems youโre trying to solve. (Oh, remember to log your architectural decision records!)
#SomethingToNoodleOn #SoftwareArchitecture #FrameworkDesign #PlatformEngineering #DevSecOps
(Image by Julien Juanola on Unsplash)