From Infrastructure as Code to Platform as a Product: The Shift You Can’t Ignore

In the early days of DevOps, we focused heavily on Infrastructure as Code (IaC). We thought that giving developers a Terraform script was the peak of "enablement."
​However, we’ve learned that simply handing over the tools often leads to "cognitive overload." Developers don't want to be YAML engineers; they want to ship features. This is where Platform Engineering and the "Platform as a Product" mindset come in.
​Why "Platform as a Product"?
​Developer Experience (DevEx): You treat your internal developers as customers. If the platform is hard to use, the product has failed.
​Self-Service via IDP: Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) allow teams to spin up environments without waiting for a ticket.
​Standardized Golden Paths: Instead of infinite choices, provide a "best practice" path that is the easiest to follow.
​The Bottom Line:
DevOps is the culture and methodology; Platform Engineering is the specialized implementation that makes DevOps scale without burning out your engineers.