Linux Foundation CGOA Certified GitOps Associate Exam Exam Practice Test

Areconcilerensures that the actual system matches the desired state declared in Git. External reconcilers run outside the core cluster orchestration process.Fluxis a widely used GitOps external reconciler that continuously syncs cluster state with the repository.

“Flux is an example of a GitOps reconciler that continuously monitors Git repositories and applies changes to the cluster. As an external reconciler, it handles synchronization and reconciliation loops outside the direct application code.”

Thus,A: Fluxis correct.

A GitOps-managed Kubernetes cluster uses reconciliation loops to continuously compare the actual state of the system with the desired state declared in Git. When drift (divergence between declared configuration and live cluster state) is detected, the GitOps operator automatically reconciles the difference to bring the system back into alignment.

“In GitOps, a reconciliation loop ensures that the desired state as declared in Git is continuously compared with the observed state of the system. If drift is detected, the system automatically takes corrective action to reconcile the difference and restore the declared configuration.”

This ensures consistency, reliability, and self-healing. Manual intervention is not required for drift correction, as the automated reconciliation is a core principle of GitOps.

In GitOps, rollback is the process of reverting to a previous known-good configuration stored in Git. This is typically done when a deployment introduces abug, error, or failurethat impacts system stability.

“Rollback in GitOps is used to revert to a previous commit representing a stable configuration when the current deployment causes errors or failures.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

Thefeedback loopis critical in GitOps reconciliation. It continuously monitors the system’s actual state and compares it to the desired state. This loop determines when reconciliation is required and whether a full or partial synchronization is necessary.

“The feedback loop in reconciliation continuously observes the actual state. It determines if reconciliation is required, and informs whether to perform a partial or full sync to align with the declared desired state.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

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, 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.

One of the four core GitOps principles is that the system must beContinuously Reconciled. This means reconciliation is not a one-time or on-demand process but happensconstantlyin the background, ensuring the actual system state remains aligned with the declared desired state.

“GitOps requires that reconciliation is continuous. Software agents continuously compare actual state against desired state and automatically reconcile differences.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

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.

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.

Kustomizeis a Kubernetes-native configuration management tool that allows manifest customization without modifying the original YAML files. It uses overlays and patches to adapt configurations for different environments.

“Kustomize provides a declarative way to customize Kubernetes manifests by applying patches and overlays. This allows managing multiple environments without duplicating manifest files.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.

Progressive deliveryis a GitOps pattern that incrementally rolls out application updates, using methods like canary releases, feature flags, and blue-green deployments. GitOps enhances this by ensuring the rollout isautomated and declaratively managed through Git, removing the need for manual traffic switching.

“GitOps enables progressive delivery by declaratively managing rollout strategies such as canary or blue-green deployments. These strategies are applied automatically by controllers, without requiring manual traffic switching.”

Thus, the correct answer isB.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)is a foundational practice in GitOps. It involves managing and provisioning infrastructure throughdeclarative, machine-readable filesrather than manual processes or GUIs. IaC ensures consistency, automation, and repeatability across environments.

“Infrastructure as Code defines and manages infrastructure through code files stored in version control. This enables automation, reproducibility, and immutability in infrastructure provisioning.”

Thus,Dis correct.

In GitOps,DevSecOpsintegrates security into the GitOps workflow by treating security policies as code and storing them in Git. This enables automatic detection ofsecurity policy driftand ensures that any misconfiguration or violation is reconciled, just like application and infrastructure code.

“GitOps applies DevSecOps by managing security policies as code. This enables detection of drift in security configurations, ensuring environments remain compliant and secure.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

TheDesired State, stored in Git, is the ultimate source of truth in GitOps. It defines how the system should look and behave. Continuous deployment processes reconcile the actual cluster state against this Desired State.

“In GitOps, the desired state kept in Git is the single source of truth. The reconciler ensures the actual state matches the desired state, guiding the continuous deployment process.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

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.

TheDesired Statein GitOps is the declarative specification of how the system should behave. It is stored in Git and serves as the reference point for reconciliation against the actual state.

“The desired state is a complete specification of the system stored in Git. It acts as the blueprint from which the actual state is continuously reconciled, ensuring the system remains consistent and reproducible.”

Thus, theprimary purpose of Desired Stateis to act as ablueprintto recreate and ensure consistency of the system.

In aBlue-Green deployment, two environments (Blue and Green) exist at the same time. The current version runs in one environment (Blue), and the new version is deployed to the other environment (Green). Traffic is switched to Green once the new version is validated.

“Blue-Green deployments maintain two production environments. The new version is deployed alongside the old version, and once validated, traffic is switched from Blue to Green.”

Thus, the correct answer isC.

Progressive deliveryis a GitOps pattern used to release software gradually, reducing risks associated with deploying new versions. Techniques such as canary releases, feature flags, and blue-green deployments allow teams to incrementally roll out changes, validate functionality with subsets of users, and minimize potential disruptions.

“Progressive delivery builds on continuous delivery by enabling safer, incremental rollouts. This pattern reduces risk, improves reliability, enhances user experience, and allows for validation of features with a portion of users before wider release.”

Therefore, progressive delivery is useful inmultiple scenarios(not just one-time deployments or small teams), making optionCcorrect.