ArgoCD: Hands-On Projects

Deploy Kubernetes Applications Using ArgoCD and GitOps Workflows#

This project covers setting up a Git repository for application manifests and using ArgoCD to deploy them.

Steps:#

1. Set up a Git repository with Kubernetes manifests.
2. Create an ArgoCD application linked to Git:

   argocd app create myapp \
     --repo https://github.com/myrepo.git \
     --path k8s-manifests \
     --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
     --dest-namespace default

3. Enable auto-sync and verify deployments.
4. Implement self-healing and rollback policies.

Set Up ArgoCD to Manage Multiple Kubernetes Clusters#

This project explores managing deployments across multiple clusters.

Steps:#

1. Add multiple Kubernetes clusters to ArgoCD:

   argocd cluster add <cluster-name>

2. Deploy an ApplicationSet to multiple clusters:

   apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
   kind: ApplicationSet
   metadata:
     name: multi-cluster-app
   spec:
     generators:
       - list:
           elements:
             - cluster: dev
             - cluster: staging
     template:
       metadata:
         name: '{{cluster}}-app'
       spec:
         project: default
         source:
           repoURL: https://github.com/myrepo.git
           path: k8s-manifests
         destination:
           server: '{{cluster}}'
           namespace: default

3. Apply and sync applications across multiple clusters.

Implement Automated CI/CD Pipelines with ArgoCD#

This project integrates ArgoCD with CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions.

Steps:#

1. Configure GitHub Actions for automatic deployment:

   name: Deploy to K3s
   on: push
   jobs:
     deploy:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - name: Checkout repo
           uses: actions/checkout@v2
         - name: Trigger ArgoCD sync
           run: |
             argocd app sync myapp

2. Automate deployments with Helm and Kustomize.

Secure ArgoCD Using External Identity Providers and RBAC#

This project focuses on securing ArgoCD with authentication and access controls.

Steps:#

1. Configure OIDC authentication (GitHub, Google, Keycloak):

   apiVersion: v1
   kind: ConfigMap
   metadata:
     name: argocd-cm
     namespace: argocd
   data:
     url: https://argocd.example.com
     oidc.config: |
       name: GitHub
       issuer: https://github.com/login/oauth
       clientID: <client-id>
       clientSecret: <client-secret>

2. Set up RBAC roles for restricted access:

   apiVersion: v1
   kind: ConfigMap
   metadata:
     name: argocd-rbac-cm
     namespace: argocd
   data:
     policy.csv: |
       p, role:developer, applications, get, */*, allow
       p, role:developer, applications, sync, */*, allow
       g, alice, role:developer

3. Implement network policies to restrict access.

Final Challenge: Deploy and Secure a Production-Ready ArgoCD Setup#

This project ties together everything covered in previous projects to build a robust, production-ready ArgoCD environment.

Goals:#

• Deploy an application in multi-cluster mode.
• Implement GitOps-based continuous deployment.
• Secure ArgoCD with RBAC and OIDC authentication.
• Monitor and troubleshoot ArgoCD using Prometheus and Grafana.

By completing these hands-on projects, you will gain real-world experience in deploying, managing, and securing Kubernetes applications using ArgoCD.