DevOps vs. Cloud vs. Platform Engineer | Difference

DevOps Engineer
Focus: Automation + Collaboration

• Goal: Bridge dev & ops with CI/CD pipelines, IaC, and monitoring.
• Key Tools: Jenkins, Terraform, Kubernetes, Prometheus.
• Motto: “Automate ALL the things!”

Cloud Engineer
Focus: Cloud Infrastructure

• Goal: Design, deploy, and optimize cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Key Tools: CloudFormation, IAM, VPCs, Cost Management.
• Motto: “Keep the cloud secure, scalable, and cost-effective.”

Platform Engineer
Focus: Internal Developer Platforms

• Goal: Build self-service tools/APIs for dev teams to ship faster.
• Key Tools: Backstage, Kubernetes Operators, Helm, GitOps.
• Motto: “Empower developers, abstract complexity.”

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• DevOps: The chef automating the kitchen (CI/CD).
• Cloud Engineer: The architect building the kitchen (infra).
• Platform Engineer: The inventor creating smart appliances (tools for chefs).