“Circumhorizontal Arc” by Jeff Kubina licensed CC BY-SA 2.0Whether you bought it, built it, or adopted it from open source, you’re probably already using some sort of software platform to build, deploy, and scale your applications.
A platform is what emerges after years of extracting common functionality out of applications into lower level abstractions. If done with deliberate intent and design, you get a platform out of it. If not, you probably end up with an organic mess on your hands and find yourself looking into platforms other people have built for a way out, a ray of hope.
The right platform for you will strike precisely the balance you need between flexibility and simplicity, allowing you to build faster without being too constrained. This piece examines the spectrum of cloud platforms to help you find the one best suited to your situation.
Everyone has their own idea of what the perfect platform looks lik