GitOps

What is GitOps

GitOps is an operational framework that uses Git as the single source of truth for declarative infrastructure and application configuration. All changes to infrastructure and deployments are made through pull requests in a Git repository, rather than executing manual commands or ad hoc scripts.

How it works

The team defines the desired state of infrastructure and applications in declarative files stored in a Git repository. A GitOps operator (such as ArgoCD or Flux) continuously monitors the repository and compares the declared state with the actual state of the cluster or infrastructure. When it detects a difference, it automatically reconciles the system to match what is defined in Git. Changes are proposed via pull requests, reviewed by the team, and applied upon merging. If something fails, reverting is as simple as reverting the commit.

Why it matters

GitOps brings to infrastructure management the same advantages that Git brought to software development: complete traceability, peer review, change history, and instant rollback capability. This reduces human error, improves auditability, and accelerates incident recovery. For teams managing complex infrastructure, GitOps turns deployments into a predictable, repeatable process.

Practical example

A team manages a Kubernetes cluster with ArgoCD. To scale a service from 3 to 6 replicas, an engineer modifies the manifest file in the Git repository and opens a pull request. Another team member reviews the change, approves it, and merges it. ArgoCD detects the new commit, compares the desired state with the current cluster state, and applies the change automatically. The Git history shows exactly who made the change, when, and why.

Related terms

• DevOps - The set of practices that GitOps evolved from
• Terraform - IaC tool that complements GitOps workflows
• Kubernetes - Platform where GitOps is most commonly applied

Last updated: February 2026