As we close out 2024, developer productivity and happiness continue to be a focus for many organizations. Platform engineering can play a pivotal role in shaping the developer experience. With the growing complexity of distributed systems and the ever-pressing need for faster delivery cycles, platform engineers are uniquely positioned to enable developers to focus on what they do best: shipping high-quality code.

When it comes to different concepts around data within software development, the concept of ephemeral data is gaining traction. But what exactly is ephemeral data, and why should you care? Ephemeral data is temporary information that exists only for a short period or for a specific purpose. Think of it like a disappearing message or a fleeting snapshot of a moment in time. It offers numerous benefits, including increased privacy, improved security, and greater system efficiency.

Development teams and product managers have many variables that affect their daily processes, but perhaps the most impactful is the nature of their development environment. Having a proper development environment can fundamentally change the efficacy of an entire engineering team, unlocking incredible productivity and iterative development at scale.