ABAP Environment (Steampunk)
What it is
The standalone ABAP runtime on SAP BTP — historically nicknamed 'Steampunk'. A fully managed ABAP Cloud platform with no S/4HANA underneath; you build side-by-side ABAP apps that connect to S/4HANA over released APIs and events.
Why it matters for Clean Core
It's the on-BTP home for side-by-side ABAP extensions, so an ABAP developer can stay in ABAP for decoupled apps instead of switching to CAP/Java. Same ABAP Cloud rules as on-stack developer extensibility.
Common pitfall
Expecting on-prem conveniences — there's no SE16, no direct table access, no classic Dynpro. It is ABAP Cloud only, by design. Plan integration via released APIs and communication arrangements from the start.