GitOps
GitOps is an operational methodology where Git serves as the single source of truth for infrastructure and deployments. Changes are managed via pull requests and applied automatically.
What Is GitOps?
GitOps is a modern approach to managing infrastructure and deployments where Git repositories serve as the central source of truth. The desired state of your entire infrastructure – from Kubernetes manifests to Helm Charts to configuration files – is stored declaratively in Git. Automated operators continuously reconcile the actual state with the desired state.
The Four Principles of GitOps
1. Declarative Description
The entire system is described declaratively. You don't define which steps should be executed, but which state the system should have. Kubernetes manifests, Helm Charts, or Kustomize overlays are typical formats for these declarative descriptions.
2. Git as Single Source of Truth
The desired state is stored version-controlled in Git. Every change is traceable, every state reproducible. Git thus provides a complete audit log of all infrastructure changes – who changed what, when, and why.
3. Automatic Application
Approved changes are automatically applied to the infrastructure. GitOps operators like ArgoCD or Flux monitor the repository and automatically reconcile deviations. No more manual kubectl apply.
4. Continuous Reconciliation
Software agents continuously verify whether the actual state matches the desired state in Git. Manual changes to infrastructure (configuration drift) are automatically detected and corrected.
GitOps Tools Overview
- ArgoCD: The most popular GitOps operator for Kubernetes with an intuitive web UI, multi-cluster support, and comprehensive sync policies.
- Flux: A lightweight GitOps operator from the CNCF ecosystem that seamlessly integrates into existing CI/CD pipelines.
- Helm: Package manager for Kubernetes, used in combination with GitOps operators for release management.
Benefits of GitOps
GitOps significantly simplifies operations. Rollbacks become a simple Git revert, disaster recovery becomes reproducible, and new team members can understand how the infrastructure is built by reviewing Git history. The combination of pull request reviews and automatic application ensures quality assurance without sacrificing speed.
Security Benefits
GitOps reduces the attack surface because no direct cluster access is needed. Changes flow exclusively through Git – leveraging all existing security mechanisms like branch protection, code reviews, and audit logs. The pull-based approach means the cluster fetches its configuration rather than having it pushed from outside.
Introducing GitOps for Mid-Market Companies
The best way to start with GitOps is incrementally. Begin with a single cluster and a manageable application. Define the desired state in Git, set up ArgoCD or Flux, and automate the first workflow. From there, you can gradually onboard more applications and clusters.
Frequently asked questions about GitOps
CI/CD automates the build and deployment process in a push-based pipeline. GitOps goes a step further: the desired state is defined in Git and an operator in the cluster automatically pulls changes (pull-based). GitOps complements CI/CD with continuous reconciliation.
ArgoCD offers an intuitive web UI and is particularly suited for teams that need a visual overview of their deployments. Flux is more lightweight and CLI-oriented. Both are CNCF projects and production-ready. We recommend ArgoCD for getting started.
In principle, yes – the concept of "Git as single source of truth" can also be applied to VM-based infrastructure. However, most GitOps tools like ArgoCD and Flux are Kubernetes-native. For non-containerized environments, Terraform with a Git-based workflow is an alternative.
Secrets should never be stored in plaintext in a Git repository. Use tools like Sealed Secrets, SOPS, or External Secrets Operator that store encrypted secrets in Git and decrypt them only in the cluster. Alternatively, reference secrets from a vault system like HashiCorp Vault.
Related terms
Related services
CI/CD Pipelines
Automated delivery systems that reduce deployment cycles from weeks to minutes.
DevSecOps
Hardened security integrated into every layer of the infrastructure stack.
Kubernetes
Container orchestration at scale — we design, operate, and manage production-ready Kubernetes clusters.
IaC Engineering
Terraform and Pulumi experts for reproducible, version-controlled infrastructure.
Last updated: April 2026