GitOps: The past, present and future

GitOps isn't just storing config in Git. It's a powerful pull-based model for faster, more secure, and self-healing deployments.

#1about 4 minutes

The evolution from traditional ops to CI/CD pipelines

Traditional manual server management evolved into pipeline-based automation, which set the stage for but is not the same as GitOps.

#2about 4 minutes

Defining GitOps and the OpenGitOps project

GitOps was defined by Weaveworks as "operations by pull request" and is now guided by the vendor-neutral OpenGitOps project under the CNCF.

#3about 7 minutes

Understanding the four core principles of GitOps

GitOps is built on four principles: the system state must be declarative, versioned and immutable, pulled automatically by agents, and continuously reconciled.

#4about 8 minutes

Key benefits of adopting a GitOps model

Adopting GitOps improves deployment speed, simplifies security, provides inherent documentation, uses familiar developer tools, and is driven by a flexible open-source community.

#5about 4 minutes

Overview of the GitOps workflow and popular tools

The workflow involves updating a declarative manifest in Git, which is then pulled and applied by tools like Flux CD, Argo CD, Rancher Fleet, or Jenkins X.

#6about 2 minutes

Answering common questions about implementing GitOps

GitOps is not strictly limited to Git or Kubernetes, and while it may not fit every single scenario, its principles are broadly applicable.

#7about 3 minutes

The future of GitOps and how to get involved

The future of GitOps involves more community standards and wider technology adoption, and you can get involved by joining the CNCF working group or contributing to tools.

#8about 2 minutes

Q&A: Choosing between Helm and Kustomize for applications

The choice between Helm and Kustomize depends on the specific use case, as Helm is useful for pre-packaged charts while Kustomize offers simpler control for custom deployments.

#9about 2 minutes

Q&A: Advocating for GitOps adoption on your team

To advocate for GitOps, use white papers for stakeholders and conduct practical demos for technical teams to show how easily the system works.

#10about 4 minutes

Q&A: Applying GitOps principles without Kubernetes

While easier with Kubernetes, GitOps principles can be applied elsewhere by creating custom processes with software agents running in containers or on servers.

#11about 5 minutes

Q&A: GitOps, CI tools, and security management

GitOps complements rather than replaces CI tools like Jenkins for build processes, and security is managed by externalizing secrets with tools like HashiCorp Vault or SOPS.