• Kubernetes functions as a runtime for declarative infrastructure with a type system, rather than just a container orchestrator.
• Users declare desired state via manifests; the system continuously reconciles actual state to match intent through a cycle: declare → persist → reconcile → place → execute.
• Kubernetes provides a type system with resource kinds like Pod, Deployment, Service—each with strict definitions, semantics, and behaviors; CRDs extend this by defining custom types.
• API server validates and persists declarations as durable state; controllers watch for changes, compare spec (desired) vs. status (observed), and act to converge them.
• Continuous reconciliation prevents drift: manual changes get reverted if they conflict with declared intent.
• GitOps integrates naturally—Git holds source of truth, GitOps controller reconciles cluster state to Git, treating kubectl as a debugging tool for managed resources.
• Practical advice: change desired state not symptoms, let reconciliation handle work, make ownership explicit, use the type system properly.

Keeping staging environment has its cost

The 6 provided benefits also explain GitOps in simple terms

Other definition of GitOps (source):

GitOps is 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.