Ricardo Castro

Originally published on the Platfform Engineenring blog. There’s a powerful and relatable story that plays out in many organizations. It often starts with a conversation, perhaps one with a new director of engineering, flush with enthusiasm and a grand vision. They detail a future-state “modern platform,” complete with the latest and greatest tooling, all designed to make the company a genuine technology leader. This vision is often driven by a core belief - an unspoken assumption - that “if you build it, they will come....

The other day, I was discussing system architecture with some colleagues. The topic of rate limiting came up, and a rather contentious point was raised: Is rate limiting an anti-pattern for internal services? One of my colleagues argued that if internal services require rate limiting, it’s a sign of underlying architectural issues. Well-designed services, he contended, should scale automatically without needing such restrictions. My initial reaction was strong disagreement. I’ve implemented rate limiting and seen firsthand how beneficial it can be in preventing cascading failures and protecting against unexpected behavior....

The software development landscape has long sought the holy grail of universal solutions, echoing the “write once, run anywhere” promise of Java. This allure has seeped into platform engineering, where the notion of a one-size-fits-all platform - a singular entity capable of addressing the diverse needs of every team within an organization - has gained traction. However, like many oversimplified ideals, this approach has many pitfalls that can impede innovation, scalability, and overall organizational effectiveness....

Problem-solving is a cornerstone of progress. Yet, a common pitfall in many organizations is the knee-jerk reaction to “remove access” whenever issues arise. While this might seem like a quick fix, it is a flawed approach that ultimately stifles growth, innovation, and collaboration. This article explores why “remove access” is counterproductive, and outlines a comprehensive framework for fostering shared responsibility, empowering engineers with the right tools, and establishing robust observability mechanisms to ensure problems are addressed proactively and effectively....

Steve Demchuk’s observation that “platform teams win over devs with quick wins” is spot-on. Engineers appreciate seeing the results of their work quickly, and by delivering small, incremental improvements to the platform, platform teams can demonstrate their value and build trust with other engineers. This can lead to increased collaboration and support for the platform. If you’re a platform team leader, read on to learn how you can win over your engineers with quicker wins....