Linux Foundation CGOA - Certified GitOps Associate Exam

The process of keeping theactual statein sync with thedesired stateis calledReconciliation. GitOps controllers (e.g., ArgoCD, Flux) continuously reconcile system resources to match what is declared in Git.

“Reconciliation is the process by which agents compare the actual system state to the desired state and automatically make changes to converge them.”

Thus, the correct answer isA: Reconciliation.

GitOps requires apull-based approachas the default model, where agents in the cluster automatically pull desired state from Git. However,push-based triggers(e.g., webhooks) can optionally be used to complement pull-based reconciliation.

“Pull-based reconciliation is required in GitOps to ensure automation and security. Push-based triggers may optionally complement this, but the pull model is fundamental.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.

TheDesired Stateis the declarative specification stored in Git that defines how the system should look and behave. It is the reference point against which the actual state is continuously reconciled.

“Desired state is the complete declarative specification of a system stored in Git. It defines how the system should be configured and serves as the source of truth for reconciliation.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

TheState Storeis typically implemented using aversion control system (VCS)such as Git. This ensures that the system’s state is auditable, versioned, and immutable. Other systems like databases or distributed file systems do not meet the immutability and versioning requirements of GitOps.

“In GitOps, the desired state must be stored in a version control system. This serves as the State Store, providing a complete, immutable, and auditable history of changes.”

Thus, the correct answer isD: version control system.

Whendriftoccurs (actual state diverges from desired state), GitOps controllers attempt to reapply theDesired Statestored in Git. The system is always converged toward what Git declares, never the other way around.

“In case of drift, the reconciler re-applies the desired state from Git to the runtime environment, ensuring the actual system matches the declared configuration.”

Thus, the correct answer isB.

ACanary Deploymentgradually introduces a new application version to a small subset of users before expanding to the full user base. This pattern allows testing and validation in production while reducing risk.

“Canary deployments progressively roll out changes to a small group of users, monitoring for issues before routing all traffic to the new version. This gradual shift minimizes risk and ensures safer releases.”

Thus, the correct answer isB.

Blue-Green deployments are aprogressive delivery patternwhere two environments exist: Blue (current version) and Green (new version). The new version is deployed in parallel, and once validated, traffic is switched over from Blue to Green.

“Blue-Green deployments provide zero-downtime releases by running two production environments: one active and one idle. A new version is deployed to the idle environment, tested, and when ready, traffic is switched to it.”

Thus, the correct description isA.

In GitOps,pull-based deploymentis fundamental. Instead of pushing changes into a cluster, GitOps agents running inside the cluster continuouslypull from Gitto reconcile desired state.

“GitOps uses a pull-based model: agents inside the cluster continuously poll the Git repository for desired state changes. If changes are found, they reconcile the live system automatically to match the declared state.”

This ensures secure, automated, and consistent deployments.

Thus,Dis correct.

Kustomize is a GitOps tool for managing Kubernetes configurations declaratively. It uses afolder structure with configuration filesand akustomization.yamlfile that references resources and overlays. This enables customization without modifying the base manifests.

“Kustomize allows customization of Kubernetes manifests by organizing resources in directories and referencing them through file paths in a kustomization file. This directory-based approach supports overlays, reusability, and modular configuration.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.