# Platform Engineering Fundamentals
All Platform Engineering Fundamentals notes →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.
4 — APIs Everywhere
Covers API-first platform design across platform APIs, infrastructure APIs, and service APIs.
5 — Automation First
Covers eliminating manual operations through infrastructure automation, workflow automation, and event-driven automation.
6 — Standardization
Covers platform standards, engineering standards, reusable building blocks, and governance enforced through standardization.
7 — Opinionated Platforms
Why opinionated platforms outperform unopinionated ones — guardrails versus restrictions, sensible defaults, and convention over configuration.