The GitOps Blueprint: 3 Essential Steps for Seamless Development

In this article, we present a practical GitOps blueprint in three critical steps: declaring everything as code, enforcing a thorough review process, and separating build and deploy procedures (CI/CD). The discussion highlights how GitOps can streamline software development, ensuring efficiency, predictability, and enhanced security. This guide serves as an invaluable resource for developers and team leads aiming to optimize their development workflows using GitOps.?

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Declare Everything as Code?

The Git repository is the cornerstone and 'Golden Record' of all development and operations undertaken throughout a software's lifecycle, hence the term 'GitOps'. In this context, the Git repository encapsulates everything as code (XaC), such as Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Configuration as Code (CaC), Network as Code (NaC), and Security as Code (SaC). Not limited to infrastructure, XaC promotes the replication of practices integral to your application code lifecycle to your infrastructure code as well, such as code reviews, static code quality analysis, and of course, build, test, and deploy processes, also known as CI/CD. Therefore, everything under the system now follows a declarative, versioned, and immutable paradigm, transforming the entire lifecycle of software development into a comprehensive, unified, and streamlined process.?

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Implement a Stringent Review Process??

For a visible, auditable ecosystem, automation, security, and workflow management with applied rules are key. When it comes to version control, select a branching strategy, such as Git Flow, GitHub Flow, or GitLab Flow, considering your product's future needs. Always monitor your pull requests and encourage peer reviews for maintaining code quality - employing a Static Code Analysis tool can be beneficial in this process. Microsoft's approach to acquisitions provides a valuable lesson; they always scrutinize the time spent on merging a Pull Request or Merge Request. With that being said, once your code is reviewed and merged with the target branch, CI/CD will take care of the rest?

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Separate Build and Deploy Process (CI and CD)?

Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are critical processes in the software development lifecycle, each serving distinct roles. CI, as a development process, encompasses steps such as build, test, security checks, and release. It ensures that all integrated code changes are validated through automated testing and ensures a consistent and error-free build. On the other hand, CD is an operational process that involves two types of deployments - Push and Pull. A push deployment triggers a pipeline that automatically pushes changes to the environment upon initiation. Conversely, a pull deployment involves an operator that periodically compares the target state in the environment repository with the actual state of the deployed infrastructure, making adjustments if discrepancies are detected. Decoupling the build (CI) and deployment (CD) pipelines can significantly enhance security and compliance as it allows for a clear, separate definition of both processes?

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And Last but Not Least?

There should be a transformative and supporting culture inside the organization. In our experience, a GitOps approach has enabled the creation of a structure in which developers are able to enjoy the benefits of increased automation. In that regard, it's a win-win approach that makes everyone’s priorities more aligned and fulfilling.?