What is the difference between Pipelines as Code and Gitops ?

[chmouel]

GitOps and Pipelines as Code (PAC) are both approaches to managing infrastructure as code. However, there are some key differences between the two approaches.

GitOps is a set of principles and practices for managing infrastructure with Git as the single source of truth. It relies on declarative configuration files that describe the desired state of the infrastructure. When changes are made to the configuration files, they are automatically applied to the infrastructure.

PAC is a more specific approach to managing infrastructure as code. It focuses on the automation of software delivery pipelines. PAC uses code to define the steps in a pipeline and to orchestrate the execution of those steps.

One of the key differences between GitOps and PAC is the level of automation. GitOps is a more declarative approach, while PAC is a more imperative approach. With GitOps, the desired state of the infrastructure is defined in code, and the infrastructure is automatically managed to match that state. With PAC, the steps in a pipeline are defined in code, and the pipeline is executed manually or automatically.

Another key difference between GitOps and PAC is the focus. GitOps is focused on managing infrastructure as a whole, while PAC is focused on managing software delivery pipelines. GitOps can be used to manage any type of infrastructure, while PAC is specifically designed for managing software delivery pipelines.

GitOps and PAC are both powerful tools that can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure management. They can be used independently or together, and they can complement each other in a number of ways. For example, GitOps can be used to manage the overall infrastructure, while PAC can be used to automate specific tasks or workflows.