GitOps is an operating model for deploying and managing applications and infrastructure where Git repositories store the desired state of each environment as versioned, reviewable configuration. Instead of making changes directly in a cluster or cloud console, teams update declarative files (meaning the config describes what should be true, such as Kubernetes manifests or infrastructure definitions), and automated controllers continuously reconcile the running system against what is committed in Git, applying updates and alerting on drift until they match.
With GitOps, changes flow through pull requests with auditability, repeatable rollbacks, and consistent environments; without it, deployments often rely on manual steps and one-off scripts, increasing configuration drift, unclear ownership, and harder incident recovery. This gap exists because GitOps uses a continuous reconciliation loop that enforces the committed intent, rather than a one-time deployment action that can be bypassed or forgotten.