Setting Up GitOps Workflows with Argo CD or Flux

Introduction

In modern DevOps, Git isn’t just for version control — it’s the single source of truth for your entire infrastructure. GitOps takes this idea further by automating deployments through Git repositories. Instead of manually pushing updates, your environment automatically syncs with the state defined in Git. Tools like Argo CD and Flux make this process seamless for Kubernetes users. In this post, you’ll learn how GitOps works and how to set it up with Argo CD or Flux.

What Is GitOps?

GitOps is a DevOps practice where Git acts as the central control plane for infrastructure and application deployment. The desired state of your system — configurations, manifests, and policies — lives in Git. Whenever someone pushes a change, a GitOps tool automatically applies that state to your cluster.

Benefits of GitOps

• Versioned Deployments: Every change is tracked and reversible.
• Faster Recovery: Rolling back to a stable commit restores your environment instantly.
• Collaboration: Teams work through pull requests, improving review and consistency.
• Automation: Continuous sync removes the need for manual kubectl commands.

GitOps enforces declarative infrastructure — you describe what you want, and the system makes it happen.

Argo CD: A GitOps Powerhouse

Argo CD is a Kubernetes-native GitOps tool created by the Argo Project. It continuously monitors your Git repositories and automatically syncs application manifests to clusters.

Key Features

• Real-time sync between Git and Kubernetes.
• Web UI and CLI for easy management.
• Supports Helm charts, Kustomize, and plain YAML.
• Automatic drift detection — if your cluster differs from Git, Argo CD corrects it.

Setup Overview

1. Install Argo CD: kubectl create namespace argocd kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml
2. Access the Dashboard: kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443
3. Connect to Git:
   In the Argo CD UI, add your Git repository URL. Argo CD starts syncing your manifests automatically.

Why Use Argo CD

It provides visual dashboards, user authentication, role-based access control (RBAC), and multi-cluster management — making it ideal for large teams and production setups.

Flux: Lightweight and Developer-Friendly

Flux by Weaveworks is another leading GitOps tool built for Kubernetes. It’s simple, cloud-native, and integrates deeply with existing CI/CD pipelines.

Key Features

• Monitors Git for changes and applies them automatically.
• Works well with Helm, Kustomize, and Terraform.
• Built-in image automation for updating container versions.
• Secure by design with read-only Git access.

Setup Overview

1. Bootstrap Flux: flux bootstrap github \ --owner=my-org \ --repository=my-repo \ --branch=main \ --path=clusters/my-cluster
2. Flux creates all the required components and starts syncing automatically.

Why Use Flux

Flux is minimal and works directly with your existing workflows. It’s perfect for developers who want automation without maintaining extra dashboards or services.

Argo CD vs Flux: Key Differences

Feature	Argo CD	Flux
UI	Web UI and CLI	CLI and Git-based
Complexity	Rich features, more setup	Lightweight, simple setup
Best For	Large teams, multi-cluster management	Individual teams or smaller clusters
Automation	Drift detection and visual sync	Git-based sync, automatic updates

Both follow the same GitOps principles — the difference lies in flexibility and visibility.

Best Practices for GitOps Workflows

• Keep manifests version-controlled and reviewed via pull requests.
• Use branch protection and code reviews before deployment.
• Separate environments (dev, staging, prod) in different Git branches or folders.
• Automate image updates for continuous delivery.
• Monitor sync status with alerts for drift or failure.

These practices ensure predictable and reproducible deployments across clusters.

Final Thoughts

GitOps brings reliability, speed, and traceability to modern infrastructure management. Whether you choose Argo CD for its enterprise-grade features or Flux for simplicity, both help you align your infrastructure with the state defined in Git. Start small — deploy one service — and scale up as your workflow matures. To extend your automation further, check out Infrastructure as Code with Terraform: Beginner to Pro. For full setup instructions, visit the Argo CD documentation or the Flux project site.