My Journey into GitOps: Why I Stopped Using kubectl and Started Using Git

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When I started working with Kubernetes, my go-to command was:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

That’s how I used to deploy apps to the cluster.
Simple. Manual. Repetitive. Sometimes risky.

But as things scaled more environments, more services, more people - I realized:

There has to be a better way.

And I found it: GitOps.

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💡 What Is GitOps (Made Simple)?

GitOps is a way to manage your Kubernetes deployments using Git.

Instead of applying changes manually with kubectl, you:

• Push your config files to a Git repository

• A tool (like ArgoCD or Flux) watches that repo

• And automatically applies those changes to your cluster

Think of it like this:

"If it’s not in Git, it doesn’t exist."

Git becomes your source of truth - and everything is automated from there.

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🚫 Problems I Faced Before GitOps

Here’s what went wrong when I was deploying with kubectl:

1. No History
   I couldn't see who changed what or when. No audit trail.

2. Manual Mistakes
   Accidentally applied the wrong config in production

3. No Rollback
   If something failed, I had to manually fix and re-apply.

4. Drift Between Environments
   Dev and Prod weren’t always in sync, because I forgot to update both.

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✅ What Changed After Switching to GitOps

I started using ArgoCD - a GitOps tool that connects your Git repo to your Kubernetes cluster.

Now my workflow looks like this:

1. I push my YAML changes to GitHub

2. ArgoCD sees the new commit

3. It automatically updates the app on the cluster

4. If something goes wrong? I revert the Git commit and ArgoCD rolls back too

So simple. So powerful.

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🔧 What is ArgoCD?

ArgoCD is a GitOps tool that:

• Connects to your Git repository

• Monitors changes

• Automatically syncs your Kubernetes cluster with what’s in Git

It even has a web dashboard where I can:

• See which apps are deployed

• Check if the cluster is in sync with Git

• Roll back deployments with one click

It made managing K8s feel… less scary. 😄

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🔄 Real Benefits I Saw

After moving to GitOps:

• Team members could review infra changes like normal code

• No more "it worked on dev but not in prod"

• Fewer accidents, because everything was reviewed and versioned

• Rollbacks became fast and safe (just git revert!)

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🧠 My Take: Why GitOps Is the Future

• Git is already familiar to every developer

• It gives us history, version control, and collaboration

• And when paired with tools like ArgoCD or Flux it makes Kubernetes automatic, reliable, and safe

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🔚 Final Thoughts

I stopped using kubectl apply every day
Not because it's bad but because GitOps is just better.

• More visibility

• Less risk

• Easier teamwork

• And full control over what’s running where

If you're managing multiple environments or working with teams GitOps is 100% worth it.