Training: GitOps – Fundamentals

Ref. GTO-01

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Duration:

jours

Exam:

Non certifiant

Level:

Intermédiaire

Funding:

Eligible

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GitOps - Fundamentals Training

The GitOps – Fundamentals course introduces the essential principles of GitOps and helps you understand how to industrialize application and infrastructure deployments in modern environments. GitOps is now emerging as a reference approach for driving changes through Git, strengthening traceability, reducing configuration drift and automating deployments on cloud native platforms, notably Kubernetes.

A hands-on course to understand GitOps workflows and their uses in professional environments

Throughout this course, you will learn how to distinguish GitOps, CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code, understand the principles of desired state, reconciliation and declarative deployment, and discover the role of tools such as Argo CD or Flux in deployment automation. This course is an excellent bridge between Git, Kubernetes, Terraform and modern delivery practices.

Participant Profiles

DevOps engineers
Systems and platform administrators
Cloud engineers
Technical architects
SREs
IT professionals wishing to industrialize their deployments

Objectives

Understand the fundamental principles of GitOps
Distinguish GitOps, CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code
Understand the role of Git as a source of truth
Implement the basics of declarative deployment
Understand synchronization and reconciliation mechanisms
Discover the operating principles of GitOps tools such as Argo CD or Flux
Identify the benefits and limits of GitOps in a professional context

Prerequisites

Having general knowledge of Git and versioning
Knowing the basics of containers and Kubernetes
Having general knowledge of CI/CD and automation
Prior exposure to Infrastructure as Code is a plus

Course Content

Module 1: Introduction to GitOps

Definition of GitOps
Position of GitOps in the DevOps ecosystem
GitOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code: differences and complementarities
Use cases and benefits in cloud native environments

Module 2: Fundamental principles of GitOps

Git as the source of truth
Desired state and observed state
Automatic reconciliation
Declarative deployment
Traceability, auditability and rollback

Module 3: GitOps and Kubernetes

Why GitOps is particularly suited to Kubernetes
Organizing manifests and structuring repositories
Declarative deployment of Kubernetes workloads
Change management and promotion between environments

Module 4: GitOps tools and workflows

Introduction to Argo CD
Introduction to Flux
Synchronization, drift detection and convergence
Repository organization and branching strategies
Examples of enterprise GitOps workflows

Module 5: GitOps, CI/CD and industrialization

Articulation between CI pipeline and GitOps deployment
Place of tests, validations and controls
Environment management
Role of packaging, images and manifests
Governance best practices

Module 6: Limits, risks and best practices

Points of attention when implementing a GitOps approach
Managing secrets and sensitive configurations
Readability, governance and standardization
Common mistakes in GitOps projects
Concrete implementation cases

Documentation

Digital course materials included

Lab / Exercises

This course includes hands-on exercises designed to reinforce your knowledge and apply your skills in real-world professional scenarios.

Complementary Courses

Eligible Funding

ITTA is a partner of a continuing education fund dedicated to temporary workers. This fund can subsidize your training, provided that you are subject to the “Service Provision” collective labor agreement (CCT) and meet certain conditions, including having worked at least 88 hours in the past 12 months.

Additional Information

What is GitOps and why is it becoming the standard?

GitOps is an operational approach that uses Git as the single source of truth to describe the desired state of an infrastructure or application. An agent (Argo CD, Flux) continuously compares the actual state with the state described in Git and applies the changes automatically. This model guarantees traceability, makes rollbacks easier and reduces configuration drift, which makes it a reference for modern Kubernetes and cloud native environments.

Positioning within a DevOps learning path

The GitOps Fundamentals training complements Kubernetes Fundamentals (KUB-01), Terraform Fundamentals (TER-01) and GitLab CI/CD. It targets profiles who already have a container and pipeline culture and who want to structure deployments declaratively. It logically precedes more advanced tracks such as Kubernetes Advanced (KUB-02) or the CNCF certifications (CKAD, CKA).

Why take this course rather than read the Argo CD documentation?

Reading the Argo CD or Flux documentation helps you go far technically but does not teach you to make the right organizational decisions: repository structure (monorepo, multi-repo, app-of-apps), secret management, synchronization strategies, change control, coexistence with existing pipelines. The training gives you this perspective and helps you avoid costly decisions that are hard to undo later.

Practical tips to adopt GitOps in the enterprise

Start small: one cluster, one environment, one application. Validate synchronization and rollback mechanisms before scaling out. Involve security teams from day one for secret management. Document naming conventions and repository structure, as they drive long-term maintainability.

FAQ

Does GitOps only work with Kubernetes?

Most mature GitOps tools (Argo CD, Flux) are designed for Kubernetes. The pattern itself can however be transposed to other contexts through tools like Atlantis for Terraform.

Argo CD or Flux, which one to choose?

Both are mature. Argo CD is often preferred for its graphical interface and learning curve. Flux is lighter and more closely integrated with the native Kubernetes ecosystem. The training covers both to help you choose.

Does GitOps replace GitLab CI/CD pipelines?

No, it complements them. The pipeline still builds, tests and pushes images/manifests to the Git repository. GitOps takes over from the repository update to the actual deployment.

Do I need to know Kubernetes before this training?

A Kubernetes foundation is required. The Kubernetes Fundamentals training (KUB-01) is the ideal prerequisite for profiles without prior hands-on experience.