CGOA Certified GitOps Associate Exam Questions and Answers

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.

Although reconciliation is continuous in GitOps, tools often allow reconciliation to be triggered earlier than the normal polling interval. The recommended approach is to usewebhooks from the Git repository, which notify the GitOps controller of changes and trigger an immediate reconcile.

“While reconciliation loops continuously compare desired and actual state, reconciliation can be triggered sooner by webhooks from version control events, ensuring timely application of changes.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

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.

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.

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, thepull-based modelcontinuously reconciles the actual state with the desired state. This makes it resilient to drift, since reconciliation runs regularly. In contrast,event-driven systemsonly reconcile when an event occurs (e.g., a webhook), which makes them more prone to drift if changes happen outside those events.

“A pull-based reconciliation loop ensures continuous alignment with the desired state. Event-driven reconciliation, triggered only on events, risks system drift if changes occur outside those triggers.”

Thus, the correct answer isD.

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.

In GitOps, rollback is handled via version control. However, the practice is not to overwrite history but toroll forwardby creating a new version that reverts to the configuration of a previous known-good commit. This maintains immutability and a complete audit trail.

“With GitOps, changes are versioned immutably. Rollbacks are performed by rolling forward to a commit that represents a previous known-good configuration, ensuring history is preserved.”

Thus, the correct GitOps approach isB.

The first GitOps principle isDeclarative Descriptions. This means the desired system configuration (for infrastructure, services, and applications) is expressed declaratively and stored in version control. Git becomes the single source of truth.

“The desired system state must be expressed declaratively. This provides a clear, machine-readable blueprint for the system, and ensures that what is in Git is what should be running in the environment.”

Therefore,infrastructure and application configurations must be defined declaratively and stored in Git, not managed imperatively or manually.

Helm is a Kubernetes package manager widely used in GitOps for packaging, configuring, and deploying complex applications. Helm charts bundle configuration, dependencies, and Kubernetes manifests into reusable, declarative packages that can be applied across multiple clusters.

“Helm charts provide a way to package Kubernetes applications, defining configuration and dependencies declaratively. This allows consistent deployment across clusters in GitOps workflows.”

Thus, the correct answer isA.

Configuration as Codeis a GitOps-related practice where configurations are stored as declarative definitions in version control. Helm charts, for example, allow applications deployed on Kubernetes to have both their container images and configuration specified declaratively.

“Configuration as Code enables teams to manage application and infrastructure configuration in version control systems, using declarative approaches such as Kubernetes manifests or Helm charts. This ensures repeatability, automation, and auditability.”

Thus,Helm chartsare a prime example of this practice, makingCcorrect.

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.

In GitOps, rollback is performed by reverting the system’sDesired Statestored in Git. This is done with thegit revertcommand, which creates a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by a previous commit.

“Because Git provides an immutable history of changes, rollbacks are straightforward. Reverting to a previous configuration is accomplished by reverting the commit in Git, which then allows the reconciler to apply the earlier desired state.”

Thus, the correct answer isB: git revert.

AGitOps-managed software systemis defined as one or more runtime environments whose resources are managed declaratively via GitOps practices.

“A GitOps-managed software system includes one or more runtime environments, such as clusters, where resources are under management. The desired state of these resources is declared in Git and reconciled continuously.”

Thus, the correct option isB.

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.