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What is GitOps?
Traditionally, developing and deploying infrastructure has been handled by specialized teams and manual processes. But as the demand increases, being able to automate infrastructure for continuous deployment at speed and scale is crucial.
GitOps is a framework of best practices that automates the continuous deployment of cloud native infrastructure and applications. GitOps is built on DevOps best practices, including continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), version control, and code review. Organizations are rapidly adopting GitOps into their workflows, with the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) finding that 78% were already using or planning to use GitOps in the next two years.
GitOps uses a source of truth known as Git repositories, where configuration files and infrastructure as code (IaC) are stored and managed. These repositories contain the desired state of the infrastructure and automatically provision the same infrastructure every time.
GitOps vs DevOps: what’s the difference?
While both GitOps and DevOps aim to enhance the software development lifecycle, they differ in how they’re applied. DevOps is a broad methodology that bridges development and operations teams to streamline the entire process, from planning to deployment.
GitOps builds on DevOps principles, focusing specifically on application deployment through Git as the single source of truth. Rather than replacing DevOps, GitOps complements it, offering a more automated and declarative way to manage infrastructure and deployments, especially for teams already practicing DevOps.
What are the benefits of GitOps?
- Easy to adopt
Teams that are already familiar with the tools and principles used within DevOps will find GitOps relatively straightforward to implement. The two frameworks share many of the same best practices, such as version control and CI/CD, which means a shorter learning curve is needed to adopt GitOps into the software development lifecycle.
- Enhance consistency
GitOps operates on a single source of truth repository. This repository contains the desired state of an application, ensuring that all changes to the configuration files and IaC are rolled out across existing and new applications. This helps to maintain consistency across infrastructure and grants greater control over any changes made.
- Improve efficiency
GitOps removes the manual process previously required to develop, deploy, and manage application infrastructure. When developers can make changes in Git at any time, it triggers automated workflows that eliminate human error and intervention — as well as holdups caused by operations teams allocating resources.
- Greater security
Version control means every change made to the IaC is traceable, allowing teams to know what change was made, who made it, and when. Development and operations gain full visibility of the Git repository, helping to quickly find and correct errors, and roll back to previous versions if necessary.
- Faster deployments
Businesses must innovate quickly to maintain a competitive advantage, which can only be achieved with a streamlined development lifecycle. GitOps enables teams to build applications not only faster, but in a more agile and reliable way. Deploying changes to applications can be made in seconds, and automating pipelines means you can respond to business and customer needs faster.
What are some common GitOps tools?
Flux CD: Flux CD is an open-source continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. The tool ensures your Kubernetes clusters remain in sync with the desired state of your Git repository. Flux CD is widely used as it integrates natively with one of the most popular SDL platforms, GitLab.
Argo CD: Argo CD is a continuous delivery solution for Kubernetes. The two tools are similar but provide different levels of hands-on experience, with Argo CD delivering a full-featured web user interface. Which tool you choose depends on your needs.
Hands-on GitOps training with LabLabee
If your organization wants to adopt GitOps and upskill your development team, LabLabee’s hands-on training labs provide the practical experience and in-depth knowledge needed. Our training labs help you explore advanced techniques like modern deployment methodologies, automated rollouts, and infrastructure as code.
Through our interactive labs, your team can explore real-world scenarios using popular GitOps tools, such as Flux CD and Argo CD, gaining the skills to implement and manage GitOps workflows effectively. These immersive training experiences improve learning and help your business confidently integrate GitOps into your DevOps practices.
Want to learn more by doing? Explore our full collection of hands-on training labs and upskill your team today.
