For teams moving beyond managed CI/CD services, self-hosting GitLab EE combined with Kubernetes Runners and ArgoCD offers a powerful, fully controlled pipeline. This architecture enables GitOps practices where deployments are driven by Git commits, improving auditability and rollback capabilities. Key considerations include managing Runner autoscaling, securing secrets across clusters, and aligning ArgoCD application definitions with CI artifacts. While the setup requires significant upfront investment, it pays off in environments with strict compliance or data residency requirements. This reference architecture is a solid starting point for platform engineers evaluating self-hosted options.
A practical guide to self-hosting GitLab CI/CD with Kubernetes Runner clusters and ArgoCD for GitOps deployments, covering architecture and operational considerations.