Applying a serverless mindset to internal developer platforms

Materials associated with my talk at AWS Community Day DACH in October 2025.

Abstract

While heavyweight technologies such as Kubernetes and Backstage are often touted as necessary ingredients for an internal developer platform, their flexibility and complexity can easily turn into costly maintenance nightmares, disgruntled developers, or platforms that never see the light of day.

In this session I want to shed light on an alternative, lightweight approach to building internal developer platforms on AWS that colleagues and I have applied at mid-size companies to boost delivery velocity, get development teams productive on day 1, and keep the platform lean and evolvable over time -- all supported by a tiny platform team, a lot of high-level managed services and zero Kubernetes.

How did we do this? Swing by to hear me share key principles, patterns and practices behind the approach; the technologies and AWS services that mattered most; pitfalls to avoid; and a blueprint for launching your own lean, internal developer platform.

You'll leave with new ideas and perspectives to steer your next platform effort. Without the bloat.

Target audience: technology leaders, architects, and developers.

Slides