ArgoCD is a declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. It synchronises Kubernetes cluster state with Git repositories automatically. This guide installs ArgoCD on a Kubernetes cluster running on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Tested and valid on:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server
A running Kubernetes cluster (kubeadm or k3s)
kubectl configured
Helm installed (optional)

Step 1 – Create the ArgoCD Namespace

Create a dedicated namespace:

kubectl create namespace argocd

Step 2 – Install ArgoCD

Apply the official ArgoCD manifest:

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

Step 3 – Wait for Pods to Start

Monitor the pod status:

kubectl -n argocd get pods -w

Step 4 – Get the Initial Admin Password

Retrieve the default admin password:

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

Step 5 – Access the ArgoCD UI

Forward the ArgoCD API server port:

kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443

Open a browser at https://localhost:8080 and log in with username admin and the password from Step 4.

Step 6 – Install the ArgoCD CLI

Download and install the CLI:

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

Step 7 – Create an Application

Deploy a sample application from a Git repository:

argocd login localhost:8080
argocd app create guestbook 
  --repo https://github.com/argoproj/argocd-example-apps.git 
  --path guestbook 
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc 
  --dest-namespace default
argocd app sync guestbook

Conclusion

ArgoCD is now running on your Kubernetes cluster on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. It will monitor your Git repository and automatically sync changes to the cluster, ensuring your deployments match your desired state.

How to Set Up ArgoCD on Ubuntu 24.04