Complete Guide for GitOps on Kubernetes

GitOps enhances Kubernetes deployments by utilizing Git as a single source of truth for both infrastructure and application code, streamlining continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes. Emerging as a key industry practice since 2017-2018, GitOps automates infrastructure management with software agents, ensuring alignment between deployed states and version-controlled code. While sharing some principles with DevOps, GitOps focuses specifically on operations procedures tied to Git, offering practical applications of continuous deployment elements. Kubernetes, as a cloud-native orchestration platform, supports GitOps by simplifying the complexity of container management and enabling automatic reconciliation of cluster states. The integration of GitOps with Kubernetes, facilitated by platforms like Harness, allows for rapid, secure application deployment and rollback, emphasizing the need for a declarative target system for effective implementation. The approach has gained traction due to its ability to enhance security, compliance, and operational best practices, making CI/CD processes more efficient and eliminating complexities associated with traditional deployment pipelines.