CGOA Certified GitOps Associate Exam Questions and Answers

In GitOps,reconcilersensure the actual state matches the desired state. Reconcilers may run inside the cluster (in-cluster) or outside (external). The choice depends primarily on operational scale and the complexity of reconciliation logic.

“When determining reconciler placement, factors such as the size of the environment, the operational complexity of the reconciler, and the performance requirements should be evaluated. In-cluster reconcilers are common for straightforward deployments, while external reconcilers may be chosen for large-scale or complex systems.”

Thus, the most important considerations arecluster sizeandcomplexity of reconciler logic, makingBcorrect.

In GitOps, deployments are driven bycommitting declarative configurationinto a Git repository (the State Store). From there, agents reconcile the actual environment to match the desired state, making deployments reproducible and auditable.

“To deploy in GitOps, commit the declarative configuration into version control. The reconciler ensures the runtime environment converges to the declared state.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.

In GitOps, thepull-based reconciliation approachmeans that agents continuously monitor the Desired State in Git. Unlike push-based systems, which only act when triggered, pull-based systems can reconcile at any time, providing resilience, self-healing, and security (since no external system needs direct access to the cluster).

“In a pull-based model, reconciliation agents continuously fetch and compare the desired state, enabling self-healing and ensuring the desired configuration is accessible at all times.”

Thus, the correct answer isB.

The GitOps principle ofVersioned and Immutablerequires Desired State to be stored in a way that enforcesimmutability and versioning. This ensures every change is recorded, auditable, and reversible.

“Desired state must be kept in an immutable, version-controlled system. This guarantees a full history of changes and enables safe rollbacks.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.

A fundamental GitOps principle is that reconciliation isautomated and continuous. Software agents (e.g., controllers like ArgoCD or Flux) continuously pull desired state declarations from Git repositories and reconcile them with the actual state.

“Software agents automatically pull the desired state declarations from the source of truth and continuously reconcile the actual state to match.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

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.

The two most widely adopted GitOps controllers in the CNCF ecosystem areArgoCDandFlux. Both implement the GitOps principles of continuous reconciliation from Git as the source of truth.

“ArgoCD and Flux are the two primary CNCF GitOps controllers. They implement reconciliation loops to ensure the desired state in Git matches the cluster’s actual state.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

In GitOps, systems are defined declaratively. This means that thedesired stateis described in Git, while the steps to achieve it are not explicitly defined. Instead, reconciliation agents interpret the declarative definition and automatically apply changes as needed.

“A declaratively defined system specifies only the desired state. It does not describe the sequence of steps required to reach that state. The reconciliation process ensures the system converges to the declared state automatically.”

Therefore, the correct answer isC: Only the Desired State.

Linting tools are essential in GitOps practices for maintaining consistency, standardization, and quality in configuration files. Automated linters can validate YAML manifests, Helm charts, or Kustomize overlays for formatting and best practices.

“Linters automate the enforcement of formatting and quality rules in declarative configuration files. They ensure standardized structure and reduce errors in GitOps workflows.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

Prometheus is commonly used in GitOps for monitoring.Alertmanageris the tool integrated with Prometheus to handle alert routing. It supports sending alerts to external systems such as Slack, PagerDuty, or email.

“Prometheus generates alerts, which are routed and managed by Alertmanager. Alertmanager can integrate with messaging tools like Slack to deliver alerts in real time.”

Thus, the correct answer isA: Alertmanager.

One of the four fundamental GitOps principles isVersioned and Immutable. This means that the entire system’s desired state must be stored in a Git repository with version control. Each change must be represented as a commit, and Git’s immutability guarantees a reliable, auditable history of how the system evolved.

“The desired state is stored in a version control system. The record of truth is stored in an immutable history, and changes can be audited and reverted if necessary. This guarantees that the system’s configuration is versioned, immutable, and traceable.”

Thus,configuration and infrastructure must be version-controlled and immutable, never changed directly in production.

Declarative configuration describeswhatthe system should look like, nothowto achieve it. This enables the use ofstandard reconciliation tools(like ArgoCD or Flux) to manage the system automatically, removing the burden of writing and maintaining imperative scripts.

“Declarative configuration enables systems to be managed by generic reconciliation tools rather than bespoke scripts, reducing operational overhead and increasing reliability.”

Thus, the correct answer isB.

The reconciliation loop is a fundamental GitOps principle. It continuously compares thedesired state(stored in Git) with theactual state(running in the system). When a divergence (drift) is detected, the reconciler automatically corrects the system to match the desired state.

“The reconciliation loop ensures the system is continuously converging toward the declared desired state. Whenever the actual state deviates, the loop reconciles the system to match the desired state.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

In GitOps, Continuous Deployment (CD) follows after Continuous Integration (CI). CI is responsible for building and testing application code, while CD automates the delivery and deployment of these changes into runtime environments. The Git repository serves as the single source of truth, and when CI merges new changes into the main branch, CD reconciles the state of the environment to match what is declared in Git.

“GitOps builds on the principles of DevOps by using Git as the source of truth for declarative infrastructure and applications. CI pipelines handle the integration and testing of code, and CD pipelines or agents automatically reconcile the desired state in Git with the actual state in the cluster.”

This shows that CD is triggered after CI to handle deployment automation, ensuring systems remain in sync with what is declared in version control.

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.