CI/CD and GitOps pipelines in cloud-native telecoms

In the cloud-native era, telco organizations require faster, reliable ways of deploying software and infrastructure. As a result, companies are investing key resources to enhance their DevOps capabilities — more specifically, by leveraging CI/CD and GitOps pipelines.

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Deutsche Telekom and Orange have already started to see the benefits of GitOps in particular. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the ways telco organizations are using CI/CD and GitOps pipelines to automate their networks.

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But first… 

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What’s the difference between CI/CD and GitOps?

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery / Deployment (CI/CD) is a rapid approach for consolidating regular code changes within a shared source code repository, testing, and then delivering them. This iterative process speeds up the software development cycle while minimizing code failures, letting telcos respond to changing regulations and customer expectations at speed.

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Whereas traditional CI/CD manually “pushes” changes directly to clusters, GitOps “pulls” changes from Git repositories — essentially making Git a single source of truth. At its essence, GitOps is a Continuous Delivery methodology. It’s a more auditable approach to network automation, allowing you to define the desired state of your networks through infrastructure as code and manage changes through version control.

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How telecom organizations are using CI/CD and GitOps pipelines for network automation

The main benefit of CI/CD and GitOps pipelines is that they allow telcos to fully automate the maintenance and expansion of their cloud-native networks.

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For telcos, the old model was simple: one major upgrade per year, tied to a specific hardware release. But now they can perform tens or hundreds of CI/CD-driven deployments per month, managing immutable infrastructure, service meshes, and closed-loop automations, all while being auditable and observable.

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In other words, telcos can make high-quality changes to their network at unprecedented speeds — all while reducing complexity and downtime in the process. By leveraging CI/CD and GitOps pipelines, telcos can…

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• Fully automate their software development process.
• Streamline software releases / updates / time to market.
• Improve network reliability and scalability.
• Reduce manual processes / operational costs.
• Thoroughly test changes and minimize bugs.

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Popular CI/CD tools for telco organizations

Jenkins: The leading open source automation server

Used by: 37,000+ customers

Trusted by: AT&T, Vodafone, Dell, IBM

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Jenkins describes itself as “the most popular, flexible, open-source automation server and CI/CD system in the world.” The platform offers heavy customization in telco CI/CD pipelines, as well as an extensible plugin architecture. This means the platform is much more likely to integrate with existing tools and flex to your requirements.

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Other benefits:

• Self-contained Java-based program
• Simple web interface
• Vast support ecosystem

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GitLab CI/CD: A modern platform for modern workflows

Used by: 25,000+ customers

Trusted by: Deutsche Telekom, Orange,  FullSave, Fujitsu, NVIDIA

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GitLab CI/CD is a web-based Git repository manager that “provides CI/CD and other features to help you manage your software development lifecycle.” By using a modern GitOps + CI/CD approach, GitLab CI allows you to build, test, package, and ship software even faster (and even more securely) than before.

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Other benefits:

• Built-in CI/CD pipeline templates
• Generative AI tools
• Automated vulnerability scanning

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Click here to discover our dedicated GitLab CI/CD training lab.

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Tekton: A vendor-neutral, open source framework

Used by: 400+ customers

Trusted by: Google, Elastics, Red Hat, IBM

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Tekton is a cloud-native, microservice-based system, with its core primitives being Kubernetes Custom Resources. This offers a distinct architectural paradigm compared to the evolution of Jenkins towards cloud-native operations or the integrated CI/CD capabilities within the broader GitLab platform.

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Other benefits:

• Standardized CI/CD tooling
• Modular architecture
• Built-in best practices

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Other notable CI/CD tools

• Azure DevOps
• Bitrise
• Buddy
• CircleCI
• DeployHQ
• GitHub Actions
• Google Cloud Build
• Gradle
• Octopus Deploy
• OpenShift Pipelines
• Semaphore
• Spinnaker
• TeamCity
• Terraform
• Travis CI
• Wercker

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Popular GitOps tools for telco organizations

Argo CD: Declarative GitOps CD for Kubernetes

Used by: 500+ customers

Trusted by: Deutsche Telekom AG, Red Hat, Allianz Direct, IBM

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Argo CD is a declarative, Kubernetes-native, GitOps continuous delivery tool that brings GitOps to life by clearly visualizing the differences between live states and desired states. Its real-time visual dashboard and fully loaded UI make reporting much easier to understand for the average user.

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Other benefits:

• Multiple config management/templating tools
• Multi-tenancy and RBAC policies
• Drift detection and multi-app syncing

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Click here to discover our dedicated Argo CD hands-on lab.

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Flux CD: The vendor-neutral home for GitOps

Used by: 800+ customers

Trusted by: Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Cisco, Data Galaxy

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Flux CD is an open-source continuous delivery and GitOps tool that was built on a set of Kubernetes API extensions. It offers a simpler way to manage continuous deployment. Automatic reconciliation means that all you have to do is push to Git, and Flux CD will do the rest.

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Other benefits:

• Vendor-neutral approach
• Large variety of dashboards
• Adherence to Kubernetes security policies and best practices

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Click here to discover our dedicated Flux CD hands-on lab.

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Other notable GitOps tools

• Atlantis
• Carvel
• CloudBees
• Codefresh
• Flagger
• GitLab
• Helm
• Jenkins X
• Kubefirst
• KubeStack
• OpenTofu
• PipeCD
• Spacelift
• Weave GitOps
• Werf

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How to choose the right CI/CD or GitOps tools for telco cloud

The network functions and business applications present in a telco cloud require high levels of observability, control, fault tolerance and availability. For that reason, telco organizations must only invest in highly robust GitOps and CI/CD tools — because the stringent throughput, latency, and resiliency requirements required to maintain a carrier-grade network simply aren’t feasible with enterprise cloud technology.

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Key challenges when implementing CI/CD and GitOps pipelines in cloud-native telecoms

• Tooling requirements: Choosing the right DevOps tools for your organization is crucial. Be sure to avoid “vendor lock-in”; choose vendors that will easily integrate with other tools within your telco cloud tech stack.
• Legacy systems: Legacy systems are a frustrating yet essential element of telecommunications networks. Any new CI/CD practices or GitOps pipelines will need to be compatible with these legacy systems.
• Security and compliance: Telco is a highly regulated sector, with strict requirements around data privacy and security. When implementing modern DevOps practices, security should be baked in from the start.
• Skills and culture: Integrating CI/CD and GitOps principles requires the right skills and a culture that embraces change. Finding the relevant talent is difficult, which means upskilling your existing workforce is essential.

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Hands-on GitOps training with LabLabee

If you want to upskill your development team and adopt GitOps, CI/CD and DevOps practices, LabLabee’s hands-on training labs provide the practical experience and in-depth knowledge needed. Our labs help you explore advanced techniques like modern deployment methodologies, automated rollouts, and infrastructure as code.

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Want to learn more by doing? Explore our full collection of hands-on training labs and upskill your team today.

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