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How to Install and Configure ArgoCD on Kubernetes (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

ArgoCD is the most popular GitOps tool for Kubernetes, and for good reason — it gives you declarative, version-controlled deployments with a visual dashboard. This guide walks you through installation, configuration, and deploying your first application.

Prerequisites

A Kubernetes cluster (1.24+). DigitalOcean DOKS is the easiest option for testing — $200 free credit.
kubectl configured and connected to your cluster
A Git repository with Kubernetes manifests

Step 1: Install ArgoCD

# Create namespace
kubectl create namespace argocd

# Install ArgoCD
kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml

# Verify pods are running
kubectl get pods -n argocd

Wait until all pods show Running status (2-3 minutes).

Step 2: Access the Dashboard

# Port-forward the ArgoCD server
kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443

# Get the initial admin password
kubectl get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -n argocd -o jsonpath="{.data.password}" | base64 -d

Open https://localhost:8080 in your browser. Login with username admin and the password from above.

Step 3: Install the CLI

# macOS
brew install argocd

# Linux
curl -sSL -o argocd https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/latest/download/argocd-linux-amd64
chmod +x argocd
sudo mv argocd /usr/local/bin/

# Login
argocd login localhost:8080 --username admin --password <your-password> --insecure

Step 4: Connect a Git Repository

# Add a private repo (HTTPS)
argocd repo add https://github.com/yourorg/k8s-manifests.git \
  --username <git-username> \
  --password <git-token>

# Or add via SSH
argocd repo add git@github.com:yourorg/k8s-manifests.git \
  --ssh-private-key-path ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Step 5: Deploy Your First Application

Option A: CLI

argocd app create my-app \
  --repo https://github.com/yourorg/k8s-manifests.git \
  --path kubernetes/ \
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
  --dest-namespace default \
  --sync-policy automated \
  --auto-prune \
  --self-heal

Option B: Declarative YAML

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: my-app
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/yourorg/k8s-manifests.git
    targetRevision: HEAD
    path: kubernetes/
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: default
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true

Apply it:

kubectl apply -f application.yaml

Step 6: Configure Sync Policies

Auto-Sync

ArgoCD detects drift and automatically syncs:

syncPolicy:
  automated:
    prune: true      # Delete resources removed from Git
    selfHeal: true   # Revert manual changes

Sync Windows

Restrict when syncs happen (e.g., no deploys on weekends):

spec:
  syncWindows:
    - kind: allow
      schedule: "0 8-18 * * 1-5"  # Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm
      duration: 10h

Step 7: Set Up Notifications

ArgoCD can notify you on sync success/failure via Slack, email, or webhooks:

# Install notifications controller
kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj-labs/argocd-notifications/stable/manifests/install.yaml

Production Hardening Checklist

[ ] Change the default admin password
[ ] Enable SSO (OIDC/SAML)
[ ] Set up RBAC projects to isolate teams
[ ] Enable TLS with a real certificate
[ ] Configure resource tracking (label or annotation)
[ ] Set up monitoring with Prometheus metrics
[ ] Back up the ArgoCD configuration

Recommended Resources

Kubernetes in Action — deep Kubernetes understanding
The DevOps Handbook — GitOps principles
GitOps and Kubernetes — dedicated GitOps guide

This is Part 1 of our ArgoCD Deep-Dive Series. Next: ArgoCD with Helm Charts

Need a cluster? Get $200 free credit on DigitalOcean — managed Kubernetes with free control plane.

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