What is GitOps?
GitOps is an operational framework where Git repositories serve as the single source of truth for infrastructure and application configurations. Changes are made through pull requests, and automated tools ensure the cluster state matches the desired state in Git.
GitOps Principles
- Declarative configuration — Everything defined in YAML/HCL
- Version controlled — All changes tracked in Git
- Automated reconciliation — Tools continuously sync desired vs actual state
- Observable — Drift detection and alerts
ArgoCD Overview
ArgoCD is a declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes.
Key Features:
- Web UI with visual application topology
- Multi-cluster support
- SSO integration (OIDC, LDAP, SAML)
- Webhook triggers for automated sync
- Application sets for managing multiple apps
- Health status for all Kubernetes resources
Architecture:
- Runs as a set of controllers in-cluster
- Watches Git repositories for changes
- Compares desired state with live state
- Syncs automatically or manually
Flux Overview
Flux is a set of continuous delivery solutions for Kubernetes, built with the GitOps Toolkit.
Key Features:
- Native Kubernetes controllers (CRDs)
- Helm controller for Helm chart management
- Kustomize controller for overlays
- Image automation (auto-update image tags)
- Multi-tenancy support
- Notification controller (Slack, Teams, etc.)
Architecture:
- Modular toolkit of controllers
- Each controller handles specific concerns
- Reconciliation loops for each resource type
ArgoCD vs Flux Comparison
| Feature | ArgoCD | Flux |
|---|---|---|
| UI | Rich web UI | No UI (use Weave GitOps) |
| Multi-cluster | Built-in | Via Kustomization |
| Helm support | Yes | Yes (native controller) |
| Image automation | Limited | Built-in |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Steeper |
| Community | Large | Growing |
| CNCF status | Graduated | Graduated |
When to Choose ArgoCD
- You want a visual UI for deployment status
- Your team prefers a centralized management approach
- You need multi-cluster management from one place
- You want SSO and RBAC out of the box
When to Choose Flux
- You prefer a lightweight, modular approach
- You need image automation (auto-update tags from registries)
- You want deep Kustomize integration
- You prefer managing everything through CRDs
How SRExpert Integrates with GitOps
SRExpert provides visibility into your GitOps workflows. Monitor ArgoCD and Flux deployments, track sync status across clusters, and correlate deployment events with performance metrics — all from a unified dashboard.