The Platform Mesh defines an environment that allows service providers to offer services of any kind and service consumers to discover those services, order capabilities, and control their lifecycle.

"Platform Mesh" enables developers (consumers) to select and utilize the needed and preferred services from various service marketplaces.

It does not make any assumptions about these services or the marketplaces, nor does it mandate the use of any specific services. Instead, it offers a mesh and the essential contracts that allows service providers to offer their services freely and enables service consumers to discover, order, and use these services.

This framework aims to transcend the traditional layered approach of strictly separating IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS in past infrastructures. Both higher-level and lower-level services are provided and managed through the same mechanism.