What is GitOps?
GitOps is an operational framework that takes DevOps best practices used for application development such as version control, collaboration, compliance, and CI/CD, and applies them to infrastructure automation. At its core, GitOps is about using a Git repository as the single source of truth for declarative infrastructure and applications. Changes to the desired state of the system are made by pushing code to Git, which then triggers an automated process to update the live environment.
Key Ideas Behind GitOps:
- Declarative Configuration: The entire desired state of your system (applications, infrastructure, networking, etc.) is described declaratively in a Git repository. This means you define *what* you want, not *how* to achieve it.
- Version Controlled, Immutable Source of Truth: Git serves as the canonical source for this desired state. All changes are versioned, auditable, and can be easily rolled back.
- Automated Synchronization: Approved changes to the Git repository are automatically applied to the live infrastructure. Software agents often ensure that the actual state converges to the desired state declared in Git.
- Continuous Operation: Software agents continuously monitor the live state and compare it against the Git repository. Any divergence (drift) is detected and can be remediated automatically, ensuring consistency and reliability.
This approach brings numerous benefits, including increased productivity, enhanced developer experience, improved stability, higher reliability, better security, and faster mean time to recovery (MTTR). We'll explore these in more detail in the Benefits and Challenges of GitOps section.
The principles of GitOps resonate with those found in Understanding Git and Version Control, emphasizing the importance of a robust versioning system as the backbone of operational processes.
Understanding GitOps is the first step towards modernizing your operational practices. The next logical step is to delve into the Core Principles of GitOps to solidify this foundational knowledge.