GitOps 101
A comprehensive guide to implementing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD and Kubernetes, based on real production experience.
What You'll Learn
This series covers everything you need to know about GitOps and ArgoCD:
GitOps fundamentals - Declarative infrastructure, Git as single source of truth
ArgoCD architecture - How ArgoCD works under the hood
Practical implementation - Real Kubernetes deployments with ArgoCD
Advanced patterns - Multi-cluster, ApplicationSets, sync waves
Production practices - Secret management, CI/CD integration, disaster recovery
Prerequisites
Before starting this series, you should be familiar with:
Git basics - Branches, commits, pull requests
Kubernetes fundamentals - Pods, Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps
YAML - Kubernetes manifest syntax
Docker - Container images and registries
kubectl - Basic Kubernetes CLI commands
Optional but helpful:
Kustomize - For manifest templating
Helm - For package management
CI/CD concepts - GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.
Series Structure
Part 1: Foundations
1. Introduction to GitOps The manual kubectl deployment nightmare and how GitOps saved production. Learn GitOps principles, benefits, and why Git should be your single source of truth.
2. Understanding GitOps Core Concepts Deep dive into declarative infrastructure, desired vs actual state, reconciliation loops, and pull-based deployments. Real scenarios from production.
3. ArgoCD Architecture and Components How ArgoCD works: API Server, Repository Server, Application Controller, and the sync process. Complete architecture diagrams.
Part 2: Getting Started
4. Installing and Configuring ArgoCD Step-by-step ArgoCD installation on Kubernetes, CLI setup, UI access, and connecting your first Git repository.
5. Your First ArgoCD Application Deploy your first application with ArgoCD. Understand Application CRDs, sync policies, health status, and rollback procedures.
6. Kustomize and Helm with ArgoCD Use Kustomize overlays and Helm charts for multi-environment deployments. Managing dev, staging, and production configurations.
Part 3: Advanced Patterns
7. Advanced ArgoCD Features Sync waves, resource hooks, ApplicationSets, multi-cluster deployments, RBAC, SSO, and notifications. Production-tested patterns.
8. GitOps CI/CD Pipeline Integration Integrate ArgoCD with GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. Image promotion workflows, automated manifest updates, and testing strategies.
9. GitOps Best Practices and Production Lessons Production readiness checklist, secret management with Sealed Secrets, disaster recovery, monitoring, troubleshooting, and lessons learned.
Why This Series?
This series is based on my personal experience deploying and managing production Kubernetes clusters with ArgoCD. Every example, pattern, and best practice comes from real deployments, real incidents, and real solutions.
You'll learn from actual scenarios:
The 2 AM deployment that taught me about sync waves
How we eliminated configuration drift across 12 clusters
The secret leak that drove us to Sealed Secrets
Recovering from the accidental production deletion
Optimizing sync performance for 500+ applications
No hypothetical scenarios. Only real production knowledge.
What's ArgoCD?
ArgoCD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. It:
Monitors Git repositories for changes
Automatically syncs desired state to Kubernetes clusters
Provides visualization of application state
Enables rollback and audit trails
Supports multiple deployment strategies
ArgoCD is a CNCF graduated project, used by thousands of organizations worldwide.
Why GitOps?
GitOps transforms how you manage Kubernetes deployments:
Before GitOps:
With GitOps:
How to Use This Series
Read in order - Each article builds on previous concepts
Try the examples - You'll need a Kubernetes cluster (minikube, kind, or cloud)
Experiment - Modify examples to match your use cases
Take notes - Capture lessons that apply to your environment
Repository Examples
All examples use real GitHub repository structures. You can follow along by creating similar repos or using the example patterns.
Let's Get Started!
Ready to transform your Kubernetes deployments with GitOps? Let's begin with Introduction to GitOps.
Part of: Automation Guide
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