Platform Engineering Fundamentals

A book-shaped table of contents for platform engineering fundamentals: evolution and organizational foundations, platform-as-a-product thinking, core principles (self-service, golden paths, automation, APIs), design principles, the platform lifecycle, DORA/SPACE metrics, anti-patterns, enterprise governance, and MAANG interview prep — cross-linking existing sre/patterns/observability/projects notes instead of duplicating them.

1 — Self-Service Platforms

Why self-service matters, what developer independence looks like in practice, and how service provisioning and self-service workflows get designed.

2 — Golden Paths

Defines golden paths, their benefits, what a standardized workflow looks like, and how to balance a golden path against the flexibility teams still need.

3 — Internal Developer Platforms (Introduction)

Introduces what an Internal Developer Platform is, its core components, the capabilities it exposes, and who its consumers are.

5 — Automation First

Covers eliminating manual operations through infrastructure automation, workflow automation, and event-driven automation.