IaC and GitOps
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) means that IT infrastructure (servers, networks, databases) is no longer configured manually but defined via text files (code). GitOps goes one step further: it uses Git as the Single Source of Truth for the entire system environment.
Every change to the system goes through a Pull Request in Git. Once approved, an automated process (Reconciliation) ensures that the real state of the infrastructure matches the state defined in code.
Anti-Patterns: Configuration Drift
In traditional environments, changes are often made directly on the server in a hurry. Over time, nobody knows exactly how a system is configured. This Configuration Drift makes rebuilding after a failure (Disaster Recovery) impossible and leads to unpredictable errors during new deployments.
Declarative Control
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform / OpenTofu): Resources are defined in neutral scripts. The infrastructure becomes reproducible and versionable.
- GitOps (ArgoCD / Flux): Software agents in the cluster monitor the Git repository. If the live state deviates from the code, it is automatically corrected.
- Version control for EVERYTHING: Not just application code — network rules, security policies, and scaling parameters all live in Git.
- Review processes for Ops: Changes to infrastructure go through the same quality check (code review) as software changes.
- Auditing & Compliance: Git provides a complete history of who made which change to the system and when — a blessing for any audit.
The Advantage: Recoverability at the Push of a Button
If an entire data centre is destroyed, the complete infrastructure can be rebuilt identically in another region within minutes, because the entire definition exists in code.
FAQ
Do we need new specialists for GitOps?
It requires a mindset shift for system administrators toward software methods. The result is a more stable and better-documented IT environment with less dependency on knowledge silos.
How secure is it to have all configurations in Git?
More secure than manual interventions. We use protected branches and automated security scans on configuration files to catch errors and gaps before they go live.
Reference Guide
- The GitOps Manifesto: The core principles of GitOps. gitops.tech
- Terraform Documentation: The standard for IaC. terraform.io
- ArgoCD Project: GitOps for Kubernetes. argoproj.github.io/cd/