Automated Promotion

## How Renovate works
 
![](140_gitops/renovate/renovate.drawio.svg)

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## How Renovate works - Example
 
![](140_gitops/renovate/renovate_example.drawio.svg)

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## How Renovate works

### Requires concept of a releases

Mark code in version control

Publish release artifact to...
  - Ecosystem
  - Release on development platform

### Requires versions
- Preferably semantic versioning
- Versions must be comparable

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## Renovate focuses on

## software development

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## Treat GitOps like

## Software development

## Software development workflow

### How does it work?

![](140_gitops/renovate/process.drawio.svg)

Is this really so different from GitOps?

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## Commonalities and Differences

- Both have a stream of updates
- GitOps has no ecosystem
- GitOps has no releases...
- ...but knows about health/convergence
- Promotion - like a release - is a concious decision
 - Based on planned features OR
 - Based on time
- Automated promotion requires successful testing
 - Health instead of automated tests

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## Align with Software Development

### Bringing artifacts to GitOps

![](140_gitops/renovate/process_gitops.drawio.svg)

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## Artifacts in GitOps

![](140_gitops/renovate/artifacts.drawio.svg)

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## Artifacts in GitOps

![](140_gitops/renovate/artifacts.drawio.svg)

### App Package

Helm or Kustomize

Transiton to fully versioned project

Establish process for creating releases

Implement health checks for release process

Treat as software project

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## Artifacts in GitOps

![](140_gitops/renovate/artifacts.drawio.svg)

### GitOps Application

ArgoCD `Application` [](https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/operator-manual/declarative-setup/#applications)

Flux `HelmRelease` [](https://fluxcd.io/flux/components/helm/helmreleases/) or `Kustomization` [](https://fluxcd.io/flux/components/kustomize/kustomizations/)

Both reference repo URL and revision

Point to application package

Version maintained by Renovate

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## Artifacts in GitOps

![](140_gitops/renovate/artifacts.drawio.svg)

### Nested Applications

Can help to tie a release across applications

Must be able to reference a specific revision

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### Release process

Each app package has its own release process

Infrastructure release consists of multiple app packages

Health checks determine release version of an app package

![](140_gitops/renovate/release_process.drawio.svg)

## GitOps Patterns

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## GitOps Patterns

### Operator Deployment Patterns [](https://cloudogu.com/de/blog/gitops-repository-patterns-teil-2-operator-deployment-patterns)

Instance per cluster

Hub and spoke

### Irrelevant for Renovate

Renovate operates on repositories...

...regardless which instance consumes them

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## GitOps Patterns

### Repository Patterns [](https://cloudogu.com/de/blog/gitops-repository-patterns-teil-3-repository-patterns)

Monorepo

Repo per Team

Repo per App

### Irrelevant for Renovate

Updates can occur in any file

Monorepo for app packages
- Different releases in the same repository
- Prefix with app name: `app-name/v1.2.3`

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## GitOps Patterns

### Promotion Patterns [](https://cloudogu.com/de/blog/gitops-repository-patterns-teil-4-promotion-patterns)

Branch per Environment

Folder per Environment

### Relevant for Renovate

Separate app packages from GitOps applications

Otherwise Renovate must use same repository as datasource

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## GitOps Patterns

### Templating

Considering support for collections of applications

### Helm

Is aware of versioned releases

Can contain versioned dependencies

### Kustomize

No concept of packages

No concept of dependencies

Workaround using clever directory layout and overlays

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## GitOps Patterns

### Wiring Patterns [](https://cloudogu.com/de/blog/gitops-repository-patterns-teil-5-verdrahtungs-patterns)

Both Flux and ArgoCD support versioned sources
- Source Controller [](https://fluxcd.io/flux/components/source/)
- ArgoCD Application [](https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/operator-manual/declarative-setup/#applications)

Nesting is hard for both tools

### Helm

Supports versioned releases

Supports versioned dependencies

### Kustomize

No concept of packages and dependencies

Notes:

- Kustomize: Workaround using clever directory layout and overlays

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## Renovate lacks support for CRDs

Updates must be maintained in resource definitions

### Enter Custom Managers

Type RegEx

Identify dependencies in resource definitions

Extract package information and current version

Inject new version

### Example

```Dockerfile
FROM ubuntu:24.04
# renovate: datasource=github-releases depName=helm/helm
ARG HELM_VERSION=3.14.4
#...
```

## Summary

- GitOps is a modern approach to operations
- Renovate enables automated dependency updates
- GitOps must follow software development patterns
- Versions and releases are key to automated promotion
- Automated promotion requires reliable health checks

### Upcoming events

~~2024-04-16 [Mastering GitOps](https://www.mastering-gitops.de) - [GitOps und RenovateBot](https://www.mastering-gitops.de/veranstaltung-21902-se-0-gitops-und-renovatebot-die-zukunft-der-automatisierten-promotion.html)~~

2024-11-07 heise Workshop: [Einführung in GitLab](https://heise-academy.de/schulungen/einfuehrung-in-gitlab) (1 day)

2024-11-21/28 heise Workshop: [CI/CD mit GitLab](https://heise-academy.de/schulungen/cicd-gitlab) (2 days)

2024-11-13/14: ContainerConf?