To follow along with this chapter, you need to have basic knowledge of version control, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), continuous integration (CI), continuous delivery (CD), and Kubernetes. Basic knowledge of major cloud providers, such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS, and Azure, will be beneficial.

In the realm of modern software development and operations, GitOps emerges as a confluence of ideas and practices, redefining the approach to managing complex systems.

The term GitOps was first introduced by Alexis Richardson, the co-founder of Weaveworks, in August 2017 through a series of blog posts. Richardson described GitOps as a methodology where developer tools are pivotal in driving operational procedures. This approach emphasized the significance of using declarative tools and advocated for the best practices wherein configurations are treated as code. Consequently, these configurations should be subject to version control, aligning with the core principles of GitOps.

This innovative concept marked a shift in how software development and IT operations teams approach how infrastructure and applications are managed and deployed, promoting a more efficient, transparent, and reliable process.

GitOps...

DevOps emerged as a response to these silos, blending the roles of development and operations. It extended the principles of CI/CD to include a cultural shift toward collaboration, aiming to break down the barriers between developers and IT operations. The emphasis was on a holistic approach to the software life cycle, ensuring that both development and operational considerations were integrated from the start. DevOps embraced practices such as IaC and monitoring, fostering a more responsive and agile environment.

GitOps, a more recent innovation, builds upon these foundations but introduces a significant shift: it takes the principles of DevOps and CI/CD and centralizes them around the Git repository.

In a GitOps story, as illustrated in Figure 1.5, everything begins with a Git repository, where the entire state of a system – code, configuration, environment settings, and even documentation...

Adopting GitOps for platform engineering brings a multitude of advantages, reshaping how teams interact with infrastructure and applications. This methodology leverages the strengths of Git, automation, and declarative configurations, providing a robust framework for managing complex systems. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Declarative and immutable nature: GitOps focuses on declaring the desired state of systems rather than detailing imperative scripts. It adopts an immutable infrastructure approach where changes are made by replacing resources rather than modifying existing ones, enhancing consistency and stability.
• Automated synchronization: Central to GitOps is automatically synchronizing the system state with the configurations described in Git to cover the full life cycle of infrastructure and applications, including deployment, updates, scaling, and recovery.
• Pull request workflow integration: Operational processes in GitOps are deeply integrated...

In this section, we’ll delve into the intricate integration of GitOps, IaC, and Kubernetes, along with key tools such as Argo CD and Flux CD. We’ll explore how this cohesive blend enhances cloud-native operations, streamlining deployment processes and bolstering security, thereby revolutionizing the way infrastructure is managed and applications are deployed in modern software development environments.

GitOps and IaC

IaC involves managing and provisioning infrastructure via code rather than manual procedures. This approach involves creating configuration files that detail your infrastructure requirements, thus simplifying the process of modifying and disseminating these configurations. IaC guarantees consistent provisioning of the same environment each time, and at the same time, IaC transforms configuration specifications into coded documentation, improving configuration management.

This approach helps avoid...

This chapter provided an in-depth introduction to GitOps, exploring its transformative impact on software development and operations. We began by contrasting GitOps with traditional CI/CD and DevOps methodologies, highlighting its unique approach and advantages.

Then, we covered the history and evolution of deployment strategies that led to GitOps. Key principles such as Git centralization, the declarative approach, automated synchronization, and continuous feedback were discussed, emphasizing GitOps’ role in enhancing efficiency, consistency, and collaboration in platform engineering.

Additionally, we delved into GitOps’ integration with tools such as Kubernetes, showcasing its scalability and security advantages in modern cloud environments. We concluded by underscoring the significance of adopting GitOps for its robust framework and adaptability to evolving technological landscapes.

In Chapter 2, we’ll dive into the practicalities of GitOps...

To learn more about the topics that were covered in this chapter, take a look at the following resources:

• Argo CD – Declarative GitOps CD for Kubernetes: https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
• Flux CD: https://fluxcd.io/