GitOps with ArgoCD: Managing Kubernetes Infrastructure Declaratively

What Is GitOps?

GitOps is an operational model where the desired state of your infrastructure is defined in a Git repository. An operator (such as ArgoCD) monitors the repository and automatically synchronizes the cluster.

Why ArgoCD?

• Declarative: Define applications as Kubernetes CRDs — ArgoCD takes care of the rest.
• Sync Strategies: Automatic (push to Git = deploy) or manual (review before deployment) — configurable per application.
• Rollback: Every Git commit is a potential rollback point. Revert = rollback.
• Multi-Cluster: Manage multiple Kubernetes clusters from a single ArgoCD instance.

Best Practices

• App of Apps: A parent ArgoCD application that manages all other applications — bootstrapping the entire cluster from a single repository.
• Helm + Kustomize: Helm charts for external dependencies, Kustomize for environment-specific overlays.
• Separate Repos: Application code and Kubernetes manifests in separate repositories — independent deployment cycles.
• Sealed Secrets: Store secrets encrypted in the Git repository using Bitnami Sealed Secrets or SOPS.

Conclusion

GitOps with ArgoCD has completely replaced kubectl apply and manual deployments at devRocks. The audit trail is comprehensive, rollbacks take seconds, and the team always has visibility into the state of all clusters.