GitOps Foundations

ArgoCD is an established tool in the GitOps space, purpose-built for managing Kubernetes clusters through a declarative, code-first approach. Its core strengths lie in automated reconciliation, continuous synchronization with a Git repository, and powerful drift detection. ArgoCD’s ability to identify deviations between the desired state (as described in Git) and the actual state of Kubernetes clusters is a hallmark feature, making it a preferred solution for teams embracing GitOps.

However, despite these strengths, ArgoCD has some limitations, particularly when scaling across larger and more complex environments. As organizations expand beyond small Kubernetes setups, they often face challenges in managing pipelines, handling multi-cloud environments, and overcoming regulatory hurdles that demand more than simple declarative deployments.

Harness integrates seamlessly with ArgoCD to address these limitations, offering a complete end-to-end solution that builds on ArgoCD’s strengths and enhances the overall GitOps experience. Where ArgoCD provides deployment automation for Kubernetes, Harness brings broader continuous delivery (CD) capabilities, supporting multiple deployment strategies, including non-Kubernetes environments, and offering a robust pipeline engine that scales effortlessly.

One of the key differentiators is that while ArgoCD excels in deployment automation, it lacks native pipeline capabilities. This is where Harness shines—Harness’s pipelines provide a more powerful, visual, and scalable approach to orchestrating complex workflows, including integrations with CI, security checks, and infrastructure-as-code automation. Pipelines are essential when deploying to regulated environments, coordinating approvals, eliminating toil around promotions and managing multi-cloud deployments. Harness’s pipeline system is world-class in both its flexibility and ease of use.

Harness also brings GitOps-style automation to other domains. For example, Harness Infrastructure-as-Code Management provides a GitOps-style interaction for submitting infrastructure changes in a PR, annotating the PR with quality information, and approving the PR to apply the change. 

Non-Kubernetes or Non-GitOps CD

While ArgoCD remains focused purely on GitOps for Kubernetes, Harness is capable of far more. Harness offers robust support for non-GitOps continuous delivery, allowing organizations to automate deployments across a variety of environments, including serverless applications, databases and applications on virtual machines across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures. This versatility makes Harness a better fit for enterprises that are not fully committed to Kubernetes or who require CD solutions across a more diverse set of platforms and services.

Scalability and Enterprise-Grade Features

Harness also provides enterprise-grade features, such as built-in security and compliance controls, advanced policy management, and integration with external tools for auditing and governance—capabilities that become critical as organizations scale or need to meet regulatory requirements. ArgoCD’s limited focus on deployment automation leaves gaps in these areas, and while it can be integrated with other tools, it doesn’t offer the same cohesive, scalable experience that Harness delivers.

By integrating ArgoCD with Harness, organizations can continue leveraging ArgoCD for its strengths—strong drift detection, declarative deployment, and GitOps for Kubernetes—while benefiting from Harness’s superior orchestration, pipeline management, and scalability.

Conclusion

In summary, ArgoCD is an excellent foundational tool for Kubernetes-centric GitOps. Still, its limitations in scaling, pipeline management, and non-Kubernetes deployments can be restrictive for larger organizations or those with complex needs. Harness not only addresses these limitations but also provides a complete CD solution, making it the superior choice for companies looking to scale, operate in regulated environments, or automate infrastructure and application deployment across diverse environments.

Harness + ArgoCD gives organizations the best of both worlds—combining ArgoCD’s GitOps expertise with Harness’s powerful pipeline management. This combination is a winning combination for enterprises that need a more comprehensive, scalable, and flexible solution for continuous delivery.