GitOps is an infrastructure + deployment pattern where the Git repository is the single source of truth for what runs in production. A controller (ArgoCD, Flux, GitHub Actions-based pipelines) continuously reconciles cluster state with the repo state. Drift between repo + cluster is an alertable condition.
The benefit: every production change has an audit trail (the commit), every rollback is a Git revert, and every environment is reproducible from the repo. The discipline: changes flow only via PRs, no manual kubectl apply, no admin shortcuts.
For Indian enterprises adopting Kubernetes or multi-cloud infrastructure, GitOps is the pattern that keeps the platform manageable. The early-stage shortcut of "just edit the cluster" is the most common reason platform-engineering programmes lose audit posture by year two.