Network Policy is a critical part of building a robust developer platform, but the learning curve to address complex real-world policies is not tiny. It is painful to get the YAML syntax right. There are many subtleties in the behavior of the network policy specification (e.g., default allow/deny, wildcarding, rules combination, etc.). Even an experienced Kubernetes YAML-wrangler can still easily tie their brain in knots working through an advanced network policy use case.

I have recently seen quite a few articles and talks covering why organizations are aiming at implementing a developer platform to help speed up the adoption of microservices within their organizations but before we get started on discussing what a developer platform is, the developer experience and productivity on Kubernetes, and how different teams are working through it, let’s define some common ground.