Gitops
38 bites tagged Gitops — interview questions with model answers, and 60-second explainers.
Configuration Drift: When Live State Betrays Git
Configuration drift is when your live system's state no longer matches its Git source of truth. GitOps tools like Argo CD detect this by constantly comparing live resources to Git, flagging any discrepancies.
GitOps Principles: Your Repo as the Source of Truth
GitOps treats infrastructure state like code, with your Git repo as the single source of truth. Automated agents pull declarative configs from the repo to reconcile the live system, making it ideal for Kubernetes.
Sealed Secrets: Safely Commit K8s Secrets to Git
Sealed Secrets lets you commit encrypted Kubernetes secrets to a public Git repo. In a GitOps workflow, this allows all configuration to live in version control. The footgun: a SealedSecret is a one-way street; only the target cluster can decrypt it.
External Secrets Operator: Sync Secrets into Kubernetes
Treat your cloud's secret manager as the source of truth. The External Secrets Operator (ESO) fetches secrets from external APIs like AWS Secrets Manager or Vault and injects them into native Kubernetes Secrets, keeping them in sync.
Argo CD: Git as the Source of Truth for Kubernetes
Argo CD makes your Git repo the single source of truth for your Kubernetes cluster's state. It constantly monitors your cluster and compares it to your desired state in Git, flagging any differences.
Configuration Hydration: From Template to Manifest
Configuration hydration turns templates like Helm charts into final Kubernetes manifests. This lets you see the exact YAML diff in a PR, not just a variable change. The footgun is that this adds a build step which, if broken, blocks all deployments.
Argo CD ApplicationSet: Manage Many Applications as One
Think of an ApplicationSet as a factory for Argo CD Applications. It uses a template and generators to automatically create apps for many clusters or services in a monorepo.
Argo CD Image Updater: Automate Image Updates
An Image Updater automates deployments by watching for new container image versions and telling Argo CD to update your app. It's used to automatically roll out new builds, but misconfiguring update strategies can accidentally deploy unstable tags to…
Flagger: Progressive Delivery for Kubernetes
Flagger is an automated traffic cop for Kubernetes releases. It gradually shifts traffic to new versions while monitoring metrics, enabling safe canary or blue/green deployments with service meshes or ingress controllers.
Flux HelmRelease: Declarative Helm Charts in Git
A Flux `HelmRelease` is like putting your `helm install` command into a YAML file and checking it into Git. It lets you declaratively manage Helm charts for any application via GitOps.
App of Apps Pattern: Manage Application Fleets, Not Individuals
The App of Apps pattern uses a single parent Argo CD application to declaratively manage a fleet of child applications. This is ideal for bootstrapping entire environments from one Git repo.
The GitOps Reconciliation Loop
Think of it as a thermostat for your infrastructure. A GitOps agent continuously compares your live system's state against the desired state in Git. If it detects drift, it automatically corrects it.
Flux CD: Git as the Source of Truth for Kubernetes
Flux CD makes Git your cluster's source of truth. It automatically syncs Kubernetes manifests from a repo to your cluster, ensuring the live state matches your config. This is for continuous delivery, not CI.
Kubernetes Sealed Secrets: Git-Friendly Secret Management
Sealed Secrets let you safely commit encrypted Kubernetes secrets to a public Git repo. A one-way lockbox: anyone can add a secret, but only the target cluster can unlock it. Essential for GitOps, but remember: a Sealed Secret is tied to its cluster.
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