gitops-workflow

# GitOps Workflow Complete guide to implementing GitOps workflows with ArgoCD and Flux for automated Kubernetes deployments. ## Purpose Implement declarative, Git-based continuous delivery for Kubernetes using ArgoCD or Flux CD, following OpenGitOps principles. ## Use this skill when - Set up GitOps for Kubernetes clusters - Automate application deployments from Git - Implement progressive delivery strategies - Manage multi-cluster deployments - Configure automated sync policies - Set up secret management in GitOps ## Do not use this skill when - You need a one-off manual deployment - You cannot manage cluster access or repo permissions - You are not deploying to Kubernetes ## Instructions 1. Define repo layout and desired-state conventions. 2. Install ArgoCD or Flux and connect clusters. 3. Configure sync policies, environments, and promotion flow. 4. Validate rollbacks and secret handling. ## Safety - Avoid auto-sync to production without approvals. - Keep secrets out of Git and use sealed or external secret managers. ## OpenGitOps Principles 1. **Declarative** - Entire system described declaratively 2. **Versioned and Immutable** - Desired state stored in Git 3. **Pulled Automatically** - Software agents pull desired state 4. **Continuously Reconciled** - Agents reconcile actual vs desired state ## ArgoCD Setup ### 1. Installation ```bash # Create namespace kubectl create namespace argocd # Install ArgoCD kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml # Get admin password kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath="{.data.password}" | base64 -d ``` **Reference:** See `references/argocd-setup.md` for detailed setup ### 2. Repository Structure ``` gitops-repo/ ├── apps/ │ ├── production/ │ │ ├── app1/ │ │ │ ├── kustomization.yaml │ │ │ └── deployment.yaml │ │ └── app2/ │ └── staging/ ├── infrastructure/ │ ├── ingress-nginx/ │ ├── cert-manager/ │ └── monitoring/ └── argocd/ ├── applications/ └── projects/ ``` ### 3. Create Application ```yaml # argocd/applications/my-app.yaml apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1 kind: Application metadata: name: my-app namespace: argocd spec: project: default source: repoURL: https://github.com/org/gitops-repo targetRevision: main path: apps/production/my-app destination: server: https://kubernetes.default.svc namespace: production syncPolicy: automated: prune: true selfHeal: true syncOptions: - CreateNamespace=true ``` ### 4. App of Apps Pattern ```yaml apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1 kind: Application metadata: name: applications namespace: argocd spec: project: default source: repoURL: https://github.com/org/gitops-repo targetRevision: main path: argocd/applications destination: server: https://kubernetes.default.svc namespace: argocd syncPolicy: automated: {} ``` ## Flux CD Setup ### 1. Installation ```bash # Install Flux CLI brew install fluxcd/tap/flux # Alternative: download the official installer, inspect it, then execute it curl -fsSLo /tmp/flux-install.sh https://fluxcd.io/install.sh sed -n '1,160p' /tmp/flux-install.sh sudo bash /tmp/flux-install.sh # Bootstrap Flux flux bootstrap github \ --owner=org \ --repository=gitops-repo \ --branch=main \ --path=clusters/production \ --personal ``` ### 2. Create GitRepository ```yaml apiVersion: source.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1 kind: GitRepository metadata: name: my-app namespace: flux-system spec: interval: 1m url: https://github.com/org/my-app ref: branch: main ``` ### 3. Create Kustomization ```yaml apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1 kind: Kustomization metadata: name: my-app namespace: flux-system spec: interval: 5m path: ./deploy prune: true sourceRef: kind: GitRepository name: my-app ``` ## Sync Policies ### Auto-Sync Configuration **ArgoCD:** ```yaml syncPolicy: automated: prune: true # Delete resources not in Git selfHeal: true # Reconcile manual changes allowEmpty: false retry: limit: 5 backoff: duration: 5s factor: 2 maxDuration: 3m ``` **Flux:** ```yaml spec: interval: 1m prune: true wait: true timeout: 5m ``` **Reference:** See `references/sync-policies.md` ## Progressive Delivery ### Canary Deployment with ArgoCD Rollouts ```yaml apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1 kind: Rollout metadata: name: my-app spec: replicas: 5 strategy: canary: steps: - setWeight: 20 - pause: {duration: 1m} - setWeight: 50 - pause: {duration: 2m} - setWeight: 100 ``` ### Blue-Green Deployment ```yaml strategy: blueGreen: activeService: my-app previewService: my-app-preview autoPromotionEnabled: false ``` ## Secret Management ### External Secrets Operator ```yaml apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1beta1 kind: ExternalSecret metadata: name: db-credentials spec: refreshInterval: 1h secretStoreRef: name: aws-secrets-manager kind: SecretStore target: name: db-credentials data: - secretKey: password remoteRef: key: prod/db/password ``` ### Sealed Secrets ```bash # Encrypt secret kubeseal --format yaml < secret.yaml > sealed-secret.yaml # Commit sealed-secret.yaml to Git ``` ## Best Practices 1. **Use separate repos or branches** for different environments 2. **Implement RBAC** for Git repositories 3. **Enable notifications** for sync failures 4. **Use health checks** for custom resources 5. **Implement approval gates** for production 6. **Keep secrets out of Git** (use External Secrets) 7. **Use App of Apps pattern** for organization 8. **Tag releases** for easy rollback 9. **Monitor sync status** with alerts 10. **Test changes** in staging first ## Troubleshooting **Sync failures:** ```bash argocd app get my-app argocd app sync my-app --prune ``` **Out of sync status:** ```bash argocd app diff my-app argocd app sync my-app --force ``` ## Related Skills - `k8s-manifest-generator` - For creating manifests - `helm-chart-scaffolding` - For packaging applications ## Limitations - Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above. - Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review. - Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.