GitOps Multi-Environment Deployment

A GitOps-based multi-environment deployment project that manages application delivery across multiple environments (e.g., dev, staging, production) using Kubernetes and ArgoCD, with Git as the single source of truth for all environment configurations.

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What is GitOps?

GitOps is a deployment model where:

• The desired state of every environment is declared in Git
• An operator (ArgoCD) continuously reconciles the live cluster with that declared state
• All changes flow through Git commits and PRs — no direct kubectl apply in production

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Architecture Overview

Git Repository (this repo)
        │
        │  apps/
        │  ├── dev/
        │  ├── staging/
        │  └── production/
        │
        ▼
    ArgoCD
   (watches repo)
        │
   ┌────┴────────────────────┐
   ▼            ▼            ▼
dev namespace  staging ns   prod ns
(Kubernetes)  (Kubernetes) (Kubernetes)

ArgoCD monitors each directory and automatically syncs the corresponding Kubernetes namespace when changes are detected.

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Project Structure

gitops-multi-env-deployment/
└── apps/
    ├── dev/                    # Development environment manifests
    │   ├── deployment.yaml
    │   ├── service.yaml
    │   └── kustomization.yaml  # (if using Kustomize)
    ├── staging/                # Staging environment manifests
    │   ├── deployment.yaml
    │   ├── service.yaml
    │   └── kustomization.yaml
    └── production/             # Production environment manifests
        ├── deployment.yaml
        ├── service.yaml
        └── kustomization.yaml

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Tech Stack

Tool	Role
Kubernetes	Container orchestration across environments
ArgoCD	GitOps operator — syncs Git state to cluster
Git / GitHub	Source of truth for all environment configs
Kustomize / Helm	Environment-specific manifest customization

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A running Kubernetes cluster
• kubectl configured
• ArgoCD installed on your cluster

Install ArgoCD

kubectl create namespace argocd
kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml

Register Each Environment as an ArgoCD App

# Dev
argocd app create dev-app \
  --repo https://github.com/dvanhu/gitops-multi-env-deployment.git \
  --path apps/dev \
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
  --dest-namespace dev \
  --sync-policy automated

# Staging
argocd app create staging-app \
  --repo https://github.com/dvanhu/gitops-multi-env-deployment.git \
  --path apps/staging \
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
  --dest-namespace staging \
  --sync-policy automated

# Production
argocd app create prod-app \
  --repo https://github.com/dvanhu/gitops-multi-env-deployment.git \
  --path apps/production \
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
  --dest-namespace production \
  --sync-policy automated

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Deployment Workflow

1. Developer opens a PR targeting the desired environment folder
         │
         ▼
2. PR is reviewed and merged into main
         │
         ▼
3. ArgoCD detects the change in Git
         │
         ▼
4. ArgoCD syncs the matching namespace on the cluster
         │
         ▼
5. Kubernetes performs a rolling update

This model ensures no environment is ever modified directly — all changes are auditable through Git history.

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Environment Strategy

Environment	Branch/Path	Auto-Sync	Purpose
Dev	apps/dev/	Yes	Active development & testing
Staging	apps/staging/	Yes	Pre-production validation
Production	apps/production/	Manual gate recommended	Live traffic

For production, it is recommended to require a manual sync approval in ArgoCD to prevent unintended rollouts.

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Key Concepts Demonstrated

• Environment isolation via separate Kubernetes namespaces
• Declarative configuration — desired state defined in YAML, not scripts
• Automated reconciliation — ArgoCD continuously enforces cluster state
• Audit trail — every deployment change is a traceable Git commit
• Progressive delivery — promote changes from dev → staging → production safely

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