GitLab developer lead: Why GitOps rocks
This is a guest post for Computer Weekly Open Source Insider written by Cesar Saavedra, developer evangelist at GitLab.
Saavedra write in full as follows…
GitOps and its context
I want to talk about why GitOps is different from what has gone before.
GitOps is an operational framework that takes DevSecOps best practices used for application development such as version control, collaboration, compliance and CI/CD and applies them to infrastructure automation.
GitOps principles can be applied to all types of infrastructure automation including VMs and containers and can be very effective for teams looking to manage Kubernetes-based infrastructure.
While many tools and methodologies promise faster deployment and seamless management between code and infrastructure, GitOps differs by focusing on a developer-centric experience. Infrastructure management through GitOps happens in the same version control system as the application development, enabling teams to collaborate more in a central location while benefiting from Git’s built-in features.
You can implement GitOps principles separately or integrate them into the DevSecOps lifecycle to fully leverage the combined potential.
Practical benefits
Saavedra: GitOps helps organisations take advantage of containers and microservices.
Let’s also use this moment to look at some of the practical benefits of GitOps for users and look ahead to any further evolution.
There are many benefits of GitOps including improved efficiency and security, better developer experience, reduced costs and faster deployments.
With GitOps, organisations can manage their entire infrastructure and application development lifecycle using a single, unified tool. This allows for greater collaboration and coordination between teams and results in fewer errors and faster problem resolution.
Additionally, GitOps helps organisations take advantage of containers and microservices and maintain consistency across all their infrastructure — from Kubernetes cluster configurations and Docker images to cloud instances and anything on-prem.
Regarding further evolution, GitOps is getting more integrated into DevSecOps workflows so that applications and infrastructure can both be managed and automated using the same flow. This will help uncover insights that can be useful to tailor the configuration of the infrastructure based on application behaviour or vice versa.
