Welcome! This guide helps you navigate the Platform Engineering Hub and start learning, regardless of your experience level.
| Experience Level | Start Here |
|---|---|
| Beginner — New to platform engineering | What is Platform Engineering? below, then Core Concepts |
| Intermediate — Familiar with DevOps, want to go deeper | Key Components and Reference Architectures |
| Advanced — Building an IDP at your organization | IDP Guides, IaC Templates, and Dagger Pipelines |
Platform Engineering is the discipline of building internal developer platforms — self-service systems that let developers build, deploy, and operate applications without needing deep infrastructure expertise.
Think of it this way:
- DevOps says "you build it, you run it"
- Platform Engineering says "we build the platform so you can build and run it easily"
Platform teams treat developers as their customers and the platform as a product.
You don't need all of these to start — pick the path that matches your interest:
| Topic | Why It Helps | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| Git & GitHub | All resources are in Git | GitHub Docs |
| Linux CLI basics | Most tools run on Linux | Linux Journey |
| Containers (Docker) | Foundation for cloud-native | Docker Get Started |
| YAML | Used by Kubernetes, CI/CD, IaC | Learn by reading examples in this repo |
The fastest way to get started is with a pre-configured environment:
Zero setup — everything runs in your browser.
Clone the repo and open in VS Code — the devcontainer includes all tools.
git clone https://github.com/codetocloudorg/platform-engineering
code platform-engineering
# VS Code will prompt: "Reopen in Container" → click YesFull Linux desktop with 30+ platform engineering tools pre-installed.
- Kodra Desktop — Ubuntu with GNOME, Ghostty, VS Code
- Kodra WSL — Windows + WSL2 with Docker CE
Start with these foundational topics:
Define your infrastructure in files that can be versioned, reviewed, and automated.
- IaC Guide — Overview of Terraform, OpenTofu, Bicep, and Pulumi
- Terraform Examples — Hands-on IaC templates
Automate building, testing, and deploying your applications.
- CI/CD Guide — GitHub Actions, Dagger, GitOps workflows
- Dagger Examples — Programmable CI/CD pipelines
Container orchestration for running workloads at scale.
- Kubernetes Guide — Local, baremetal, and cloud deployments
- Local Kubernetes — Practice clusters on your laptop
Embed security into every stage of the development lifecycle.
- Security Guide — Policy-as-code, secrets management, supply chain security
Build self-service portals for your developers.
- IDP Guide — Backstage, Port, Cortex, and more
| Category | Resources |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure | IaC · CI/CD · Kubernetes · Cloud-Native |
| Developer Experience | Codespaces · IDPs · Automation |
| Operations | Observability · Security · AI Infrastructure |
| Learning | Certifications · Landscape Overview · Glossary |
See how everything fits together:
- Azure Reference Architecture — Azure-based IDP with IaC, GitOps, and Kubernetes
- OpenShift Reference Architecture — Red Hat OpenShift-based platform
Week 1-2: IaC Fundamentals (Terraform or Bicep)
Week 3-4: CI/CD with GitHub Actions or Dagger
Week 5-6: Kubernetes Basics (local cluster)
Week 7-8: Observability & Security
Week 9-10: Internal Developer Platforms
Week 11+: Build your own platform / Certifications
Validate your platform engineering knowledge:
- Certification Pathways — CNPA and related certifications
- CNPA Study Guide — Cloud Native Platform Architect prep
- FAQ — Common questions answered
- Glossary — Platform engineering terminology
- Discord — Ask questions, share ideas
- GitHub Discussions — Longer-form Q&A
- GitHub Issues — Report bugs or request new content