Understanding DevOps, GitOps, and Platform Engineering
3 min readAug 5, 2025
In the modern software development lifecycle, the integration of development and operations is no longer optional. Practices like DevOps, GitOps, and Platform Engineering have reshaped how we build, deploy, and maintain software. In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences, synergies, and how these practices contribute to more efficient and reliable software delivery.
What is DevOps?
Definition
- DevOps is a cultural and operational shift that combines development and IT operations. It aims to automate and improve the collaboration between development and operations teams to accelerate software delivery.
Core Practices
- CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery)
- Automation of workflows to ensure faster and more reliable deployments.
- Frequent communication between teams to eliminate silos.
- Feedback loops to quickly identify issues and iteratively improve the product.
Goal
- DevOps strives to create an environment where developers and operations teams can collaborate more effectively, leading to faster delivery, reduced errors, and more reliable software.
What is GitOps?
Definition
- GitOps takes DevOps principles a step further by applying Git as the single source of truth for managing infrastructure and application deployment.
How It Works
- Declarative Configuration: Infrastructure is described in configuration files stored in Git repositories.
- Automation: GitOps operators (like Argo CD or Flux) automatically sync infrastructure and application states from Git repositories to production environments.
- Pull Requests: Changes are made through pull requests, ensuring full auditability and control over the infrastructure.
Benefits
- Consistency: GitOps ensures that the desired state defined in Git matches the live infrastructure.
- Security: Using version-controlled Git ensures visibility into all infrastructure changes.
- Familiar Workflow: Developers can use Git as they already do for software code, making it easier to manage infrastructure.
What is Platform Engineering?
Definition
- Platform Engineering focuses on creating internal developer platforms (IDPs) that streamline development processes and reduce cognitive load for developers.
Key Concepts
- Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs): These are centralized systems that provide reusable tools, services, and workflows to speed up software development.
- Golden Paths: A set of best practices and well-documented workflows for building and deploying applications.
- Self-Service: Developers can leverage standardized tools without needing deep expertise in the underlying infrastructure.
- Customization: Platform engineering tailors IDPs to the needs of the organization, ensuring they are aligned with business goals and operational needs.
Relationship to DevOps
- Platform Engineering extends DevOps practices by reducing friction in toolchains and providing developers with the resources they need without reinventing the wheel for each project.
What is an Internal Developer Platform (IDP)?
Definition
- An IDP is a set of tools and services that standardizes the development lifecycle, enabling developers to build, test, and deploy software without managing the underlying infrastructure.
Core Features
- Automation: Automates repetitive tasks and ensures consistency across environments.
- Self-Service: Developers can access tools and services on demand, reducing dependencies on other teams.
- Integration: Integrates with CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, security, and other DevOps practices to provide a holistic solution for software development.
Benefits
- Faster Delivery: By providing standardized tools and workflows, IDPs speed up development and deployment.
- Reduced Cognitive Load: Developers don’t need to worry about underlying infrastructure and can focus on building features.
- Collaboration: By streamlining processes, platform engineering fosters collaboration between developers and other teams, improving productivity and reducing bottlenecks.
