Choosing the right CD tool for your Kubernetes deployments

Over the past decade, Kubernetes has significantly influenced the deployment landscape by offering notable benefits while adding complexity that developers must manage. To address this, the guide "Kubernetes Delivery Unlocked" explores the main categories of Continuous Delivery (CD) tools suitable for Kubernetes deployments, which include Combined CI/CD tools, GitOps tools, and Dedicated CD tools. Combined CI/CD tools, like GitHub Actions, integrate with existing CI systems but are typically limited to simple workflows. GitOps tools, exemplified by ArgoCD, leverage Kubernetes' declarative nature to enhance deployment pipelines and are often improved upon by platforms like Codefresh. Dedicated CD tools, such as Octopus Deploy, offer specialized features and flexibility to support complex deployment processes with comprehensive management of deployments, releases, and environments. The guide suggests that the choice of CD tooling should align with the complexity of one's deployment pipeline, as dedicated tools may incur licensing costs but can save time and effort for intricate systems.