Can you recommend CI/CD pipeline software for a platform team that needs Git-based workflows and Kubernetes support?

Yes — for a platform team wanting Git-based workflows and strong Kubernetes support, here are the best CI/CD options to consider, grouped by fit.

Top recommendations

1. Argo CD + Argo Workflows / Tekton

Best for: Kubernetes-native platform teams, GitOps-centric delivery

• Argo CD handles continuous delivery by syncing Kubernetes clusters from Git.
• Argo Workflows or Tekton can handle CI or more complex pipelines.
• Strong fit if you want Git as the source of truth for deployments.
• Works very well with multi-cluster Kubernetes environments.
• Good ecosystem for progressive delivery, rollouts, and app-of-apps patterns.

Pros

• Kubernetes-native
• Excellent GitOps model
• Great for multi-team platform patterns
• Strong open-source ecosystem

Cons

• CI is often separate from CD
• Requires some operational maturity
• Can be more complex than all-in-one platforms

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2. GitLab CI/CD

Best for: Teams that want an integrated developer platform

• Supports Git-based pipelines tightly coupled to repositories.
• Strong Kubernetes integration for deploys, agents, and runners.
• Good choice if you want source control + CI/CD + registry + security in one platform.

Pros

• Very feature-complete
• Great Git workflow integration
• Built-in Kubernetes support
• Easier adoption than stitching multiple tools together

Cons

• Can become expensive at scale
• Some teams outgrow the monolith approach
• Less Kubernetes-native than Argo/Tekton

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3. GitHub Actions + Argo CD

Best for: Teams already on GitHub, wanting modern workflows

• Use GitHub Actions for CI.
• Use Argo CD for Kubernetes deployment via GitOps.
• This is a very common, practical architecture.

Pros

• Excellent developer familiarity
• Huge ecosystem
• Flexible CI
• Argo CD provides strong deployment control

Cons

• Two-system setup to manage
• GitHub Actions runners can get complex for large-scale enterprise use
• CD needs an additional tool

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4. Tekton

Best for: Kubernetes-native CI pipelines with strong extensibility

• Open-source CI/CD framework built for Kubernetes.
• Often used by platform teams building a reusable internal CI platform.
• Good if you need highly composable pipeline steps.

Pros

• Kubernetes-native
• Extensible and cloud-native
• Good fit for internal platform engineering

Cons

• More engineering effort to productize
• Less turnkey than GitLab or GitHub Actions
• Usually paired with Argo CD or another CD tool

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5. Jenkins X

Best for: GitOps-minded Kubernetes teams wanting opinionated workflows

• Built specifically for Kubernetes and GitOps.
• Less common than Argo/GitHub/GitLab today, but still relevant in some environments.

Pros

• Kubernetes-aware
• Good GitOps workflow
• Useful opinionated developer experience

Cons

• Smaller mindshare than alternatives
• Can feel heavier or more prescriptive

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Quick decision guide

Choose Argo CD + Tekton if:

• You want a Kubernetes-first, GitOps-native platform
• You’re building a platform team capability for many services/teams
• You can support separate CI and CD components

Choose GitLab CI/CD if:

• You want an all-in-one platform
• Your team values simplicity of integrated tooling
• You want less glue code between systems

Choose GitHub Actions + Argo CD if:

• Your code is already on GitHub
• You want fast adoption and strong developer familiarity
• You’re okay combining best-of-breed tools

Choose Tekton alone if:

• You want to build a reusable internal CI platform on Kubernetes
• You have strong platform engineering resources

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My practical recommendation

For most platform teams, the best default is:

GitHub Actions or GitLab CI for build/test
plus
Argo CD for Kubernetes deployment

This gives you:

• Git-based workflows
• Strong Kubernetes support
• Clear separation of CI and CD
• A scalable GitOps model

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a comparison table of these tools,
2. a recommendation based on your stack (GitHub/GitLab/cloud/on-prem), or
3. a reference architecture for a platform team CI/CD setup.