Codefresh is a Continuous Integration/Delivery (CI/CD) solution. This article reviews main concepts around CD, and how Codefresh supports and implements them.

For a review of CI concepts, see[Codefresh for CI]({{site.baseurl}}docs/getting-started/ci-codefresh/).

`kubectl` is the command line interface for managing Kubernetes clusters. Running custom`kubectl` commands in a freestyle step gives maximum flexibility with cluster deployments.

Codefresh automatically sets up your config context with your connected clusters. The config context is the value of the`$CF_KUBECONFIG_PATH` variable, which expands to`/codefresh/volume/sensitive/.kube/config` within the shared step volume.

Codefresh has a public Docker image for kubectl at[Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/codefresh/kubectl/tags){:target="\_blank"} that you can use.

As with steps for Kubernetes deployments, Codefresh has a dedicated step for Helm deployments. The Helm step easily integrates Helm in Codefresh pipelines, and can authenticate, configure, and execute Helm commands.

The Helm step can operate in one of three modes covering most scenarios:

* Install the chart into a Kubernetes cluster. This is the default mode if not explicitly set.

* Package the chart and push it to the defined repository.

See[Using Helm in Codefresh pipelines]({{site.baseurl}}/docs/deployments/helm//using-helm-in-codefresh-pipeline/),[Using managed Helm repos]({{site.baseurl}}/docs/deployments/helm//managed-helm-repository/), and Helm[charts and repositories]({{site.baseurl}}/docs/deployments/helm/helm-charts-and-repositories/).

Dashboards are key to providing the right information at the right time. Codefresh makes it easy to both access and visualize critical information for any resource, at any stage and level, and for anyone, from managers to DevOps engineers. Our operational dashboards expose the most critical application and environmental information to developers for troubleshooting without needing assistance from the DevOps teams. Our analytics dashboards expose key statistics and metrics around builds and deployments for product owners and management alike.

Dashboards are key to providing the right information at the right time. Codefresh makes it easy to both access and visualize critical information for any resource, at any stage and level, and for anyone, from managers to DevOps engineers.

Our operational dashboards expose the most critical application and environmental information to developers for troubleshooting without needing assistance from the DevOps teams. Our analytics dashboards expose key statistics and metrics around builds and deployments for product owners and management alike.

You can customize all dashboards to display just the information most relevant to your business issues.

**Kubernetes**

The Kubernetes (Kubernetes Services) dashboard displays the clusters in your environments, their state, and actions if you have the required access privileges.

This dashboard is a centralized location from which to view, add, modify, and remove Kubernetes services. You can deploy services with images from the Codefresh registry or from external Docker registries.

See[Accessing the Kubernetes dashboard]({{site.baseurl}}/docs/deployments/kubernetes/manage-kubernetes/#accessing-the-kubernetes-dashboard).

Weaveworks, who introduced the concept of GitOps, describes it as "a way of implementing Continuous Deployment for cloud native applications. It focuses on a developer-centric experience when operating infrastructure, by using tools developers are already familiar with, including Git and Continuous Deployment tools."

At the root of the GitOps paradigm is having "Git as the single source of truth". Git repositories are the source-control systems that declaratively describe applications and infrastructure using code. The continuous integration and continuous delivery processes synchronize these changes with live environments, making sure that the production state always matches the desired state in Git.

The entire application lifecyle

GitOps is a set of best practices for application/infrastructure deployment centered around the concept of using Git as the single source of truth.

You can read more about GitOps at[OpenGitOps.dev](https://opengitops.dev/).

Git repositories are the source-control systems that declaratively describe applications and infrastructure using code. The continuous integration and continuous delivery processes synchronize these changes with live environments, making sure that the production state always matches the desired state in Git.

The entire application lifecycle is managed by Git.

The key difference is that while the traditional workflow is based on “pushing” new code changes through the pipeline to production, a GitOps workflow is a “pull” process in which new changes are submitted, and the GitOps agent detects and synchronizes them with the production environment.

Read more in our blog,[What is a GitOps workflow](https://codefresh.io/learn/gitops/gitops-workflow-vs-traditional-workflow-what-is-the-difference/){:target="\_blank"}.

See also[Codefresh for GitOps & Argo CD]

Codefresh supports the complete lifecycle to create and deploy Argo CD applications.

You can create full-featured Argo CD applications in Form or YAML modes. Built-in validations make it easy to identify and fix errors before commit.

The application is also completely GitOps-compliant. The application manifest is generated, committed to Git, and synced to your cluster.

[Monitoring applications]({{site.baseurl}}/docs/deployments/gitops/applications-dashboard/)

Codefreshcreates a conformed fork of the Argoproject, providing an enterprise-supported version ofthe same, enhanced with unique functionality.

Codefreshunified all 4 projects of the Argofamily into a single*Runtime*, providing an enterprise-supported version ofall projects enhanced with unique functionality.

* Argo Workflows as the workflow engine

* Argo Events for event-driven workflow automation framework

Codefresh unified all 4 projects of the Argofamiliy into a single*Runtime*, providing an enterprise-supported version of all projects enhanced with unique functionality.

Codefresh unified all 4 projects of the Argofamily into a single*Runtime*, providing an enterprise-supported version of all projects enhanced with unique functionality.

To maintain that high standard, we add several weeks of testing and bug fixes to new versions of Argo before making them available within Codefresh. Typically, new versions of Argo are available in the Codefresh Runtime within 30 days of their release.