KubeSphere DevOps ArgoCD Configuration

Overview

KubeSphere DevOps includes ArgoCD v2.11.7 as a bundled subchart for GitOps continuous deployment. ArgoCD follows the declarative GitOps pattern, automatically syncing application state with Git repositories.

When to Use

• Setting up GitOps continuous deployment
• Configuring ArgoCD applications and ApplicationSets
• Enabling SSO authentication via Dex
• Managing multi-cluster deployments
• Troubleshooting ArgoCD sync issues
• Configuring repository credentials

KubeSphere GitOps Integration

Two Ways to Create Applications

1. Direct ArgoCD Application (Admin Only)

• Created in argocd namespace
• Requires access to ArgoCD namespace
• Full control over ArgoCD configuration

2. KubeSphere GitOps Application (Tenant-Friendly)

• Created via /kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/
• Application CR created in tenant namespace
• KubeSphere automatically creates corresponding ArgoCD Application
• Tenant doesn't need direct ArgoCD access

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Tenant Namespace                          │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐           │
│  │  Application (gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1) │           │
│  │  - Created by tenant via KubeSphere API      │           │
│  │  - Label: gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-location: argocd │  │
│  └──────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘           │
└──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┘
                       │
                       │ KubeSphere Controller watches
                       │ and creates corresponding
                       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    argocd Namespace                          │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐           │
│  │  Application (argoproj.io/v1alpha1)          │           │
│  │  - Created automatically by KubeSphere       │           │
│  │  - References tenant namespace as target     │           │
│  └──────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘           │
└──────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────┘
                       │
                       │ ArgoCD Controller reconciles
                       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Tenant Namespace                          │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐           │
│  │  Deployed Resources (Pods, Services, etc.)   │           │
│  │  - Created by ArgoCD                         │           │
│  │  - Managed via GitOps                        │           │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Differences

Architecture

ArgoCD Components

Namespace: argocd (configurable via argocd.namespace)

Installation & Verification

Check ArgoCD Status

# Verify ArgoCD namespace exists
kubectl get ns argocd

# Check all ArgoCD pods
kubectl get pods -n argocd

# Check ArgoCD services
kubectl get svc -n argocd

Access ArgoCD UI

# Get ArgoCD server service
kubectl get svc devops-agent-argocd-server -n argocd

# Port-forward for local access
kubectl port-forward svc/devops-agent-argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443

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

# Access via: https://localhost:8080
# Username: admin
# Password: (from command above)

Configuration

Enable/Disable ArgoCD

In DevOps InstallPlan:

apiVersion: kubesphere.io/v1alpha1
kind: InstallPlan
metadata:
  name: devops
  namespace: kubesphere-system
spec:
  extension:
    name: devops
    version: 1.2.4
  enabled: true
  upgradeStrategy: Manual
  config: |
    agent:
      argocd:
        enabled: true           # Enable ArgoCD
        namespace: "argocd"     # ArgoCD namespace

Custom ArgoCD Configuration

config: |
  agent:
    argocd:
      enabled: true
      namespace: "argocd"
      # Full ArgoCD Helm values available
      # See: kse-extensions/devops/charts/agent/charts/argo-cd/values.yaml
      configs:
        cm:
          url: "https://argocd.example.com"
          admin.enabled: "true"

Managing Applications

Create an Application

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

Create via KubeSphere GitOps API (Tenant Method)

For tenants who don't have access to the argocd namespace:

# Authenticate as tenant
export API_TOKEN="<tenant-kubesphere-token>"
export KUBESPHERE_API="https://kubesphere-api.example.com"
export DEVOPS_PROJECT="demo-project"

# Create GitOps Application via API
curl -s -X POST "${KUBESPHERE_API}/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/${DEVOPS_PROJECT}/applications" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "apiVersion": "gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1",
    "kind": "Application",
    "metadata": {
      "name": "guestbook",
      "namespace": "'${DEVOPS_PROJECT}'",
      "labels": {
        "gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-location": "argocd"
      }
    },
    "spec": {
      "argoApp": {
        "spec": {
          "project": "default",
          "source": {
            "repoURL": "https://github.com/stoneshi-yunify/argocd-example-apps",
            "targetRevision": "HEAD",
            "path": "guestbook"
          },
          "destination": {
            "server": "https://kubernetes.default.svc",
            "namespace": "'${DEVOPS_PROJECT}'"
          },
          "syncPolicy": {
            "automated": {
              "prune": true,
              "selfHeal": true
            },
            "syncOptions": [
              "CreateNamespace=true"
            ]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }'

What happens:

1. Tenant creates Application (gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1) in their namespace
2. KubeSphere automatically adds label: gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-location: argocd
3. KubeSphere controller creates corresponding ArgoCD Application in argocd namespace
4. ArgoCD syncs the application to the tenant's namespace

Verify Application Status:

# Method 1: Check status labels (tenant accessible)
curl -s "${KUBESPHERE_API}/clusters/member-1/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/demo-project/applications/guestbook" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" | jq -r '{
  health: .metadata.labels["gitops.kubesphere.io/health-status"],
  sync: .metadata.labels["gitops.kubesphere.io/sync-status"]
}'
# Expected output when healthy and synced:
# {
#   "health": "Healthy",
#   "sync": "Synced"
# }

# Method 2: Check detailed status via .status.argoApp (JSON string)
curl -s "${KUBESPHERE_API}/clusters/member-1/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/demo-project/applications/guestbook" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" | jq -r '.status.argoApp' | jq -r '{
  syncStatus: .sync.status,
  healthStatus: .health.status,
  resources: [.resources[] | {kind: .kind, name: .name, status: .status}]
}'

# Check ArgoCD Application (admin only)
kubectl get application -n argocd | grep guestbook

Note: When spec.argoApp.spec.destination.server is https://kubernetes.default.svc and destination.name is empty or in-cluster, the Application deploys to the cluster specified in the API path (e.g., /clusters/member-1 → member-1 cluster). Tenants should verify deployment via Application status labels as they may not have permissions to query the destination namespace directly.

Note: This method requires KubeSphere GitOps controller to be running.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Required Label

The Application MUST have the label gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-location: argocd. Without this label:

• The controller will silently ignore the Application
• No ArgoCD Application will be created
• The Application status will remain Unknown

Evidence from controller logs:

Warning  Invalid  application/private-guestbook  
Cannot find the namespace of the Argo CD instance from key: gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-location

⚠️ WARNING: Don't Create ArgoCD Application Manually

When using KubeSphere GitOps Application, the controller automatically creates the corresponding ArgoCD Application. Do NOT create an ArgoCD Application manually with the same name or targeting the same resources - this will cause a resource conflict.

Resource Conflict Example:

Deployment/guestbook-ui is part of applications 
argocd/private-guestbook and stone-devops-private-guestbook

This results in:

• SharedResourceWarning
• OutOfSync status
• Conflicting management

Create an ApplicationSet

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: ApplicationSet
metadata:
  name: my-appset
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  generators:
    - git:
        repoURL: https://github.com/example/repo.git
        revision: HEAD
        directories:
          - path: apps/*
  template:
    metadata:
      name: '{{path.basename}}'
    spec:
      project: default
      source:
        repoURL: https://github.com/example/repo.git
        targetRevision: HEAD
        path: '{{path}}'
      destination:
        server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
        namespace: '{{path.basename}}'
      syncPolicy:
        automated:
          prune: true
          selfHeal: true

Repository Management

Add a Git Repository

Via CLI:

# Login to argocd CLI
argocd login localhost:8080 --username admin --password $(kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath='{.data.password}' | base64 -d)

# Add repository
argocd repo add https://github.com/example/repo.git \
  --username <user> \
  --password <token>

Via Secret:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: repo-github-example
  namespace: argocd
  labels:
    argocd.argoproj.io/secret-type: repository
stringData:
  type: git
  url: https://github.com/example/repo.git
  username: <username>
  password: <personal-access-token>

Add a Helm Repository

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: repo-helm-stable
  namespace: argocd
  labels:
    argocd.argoproj.io/secret-type: repository
stringData:
  type: helm
  url: https://charts.helm.sh/stable
  name: stable

SSO Configuration

Enable Dex for SSO

ArgoCD includes Dex for SSO integration:

config: |
  agent:
    argocd:
      configs:
        cm:
          url: https://argocd.example.com
          dex.config: |
            connectors:
              - type: github
                id: github
                name: GitHub
                config:
                  clientID: $dex.github.clientId
                  clientSecret: $dex.github.clientSecret
                  orgs:
                    - name: your-org

Configure Secrets for Dex

# Create secret for Dex connector credentials
kubectl -n argocd create secret generic argocd-dex-github \
  --from-literal=dex.github.clientId=<client-id> \
  --from-literal=dex.github.clientSecret=<client-secret>

CLI Operations

Install ArgoCD CLI

# Download CLI
curl -sSL -o argocd-linux-amd64 https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/latest/download/argocd-linux-amd64

# Install
sudo install -m 555 argocd-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/argocd
rm argocd-linux-amd64

Common CLI Commands

# Login
argocd login <argocd-server-host>

# List applications
argocd app list

# Get application status
argocd app get <app-name>

# Sync application
argocd app sync <app-name>

# Sync with pruning
argocd app sync <app-name> --prune

# Watch sync progress
argocd app wait <app-name> --health

# Rollback
argocd app rollback <app-name> <revision>

Practical Examples

Complete Workflow: Deploy Guestbook Application

1. Create Namespace (if needed):

kubectl create ns argo-guestbook

2. Create Application:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: guestbook
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/stoneshi-yunify/argocd-example-apps
    targetRevision: HEAD
    path: guestbook
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: argo-guestbook
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true

Apply:

kubectl apply -f guestbook-app.yaml

3. Check Application Status:

# Quick status
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd

# Detailed status
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd -o custom-columns=\
SYNC:.status.sync.status,HEALTH:.status.health.status,REVISION:.status.sync.revision

# Resource health
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.status.resources}'

# Check deployed resources
kubectl get all -n argo-guestbook

Expected Output:

NAME        SYNC STATUS   HEALTH STATUS
guestbook   Synced        Healthy

SYNC     HEALTH    REVISION
Synced   Healthy   335cffbb730e59b165c308b98c3fa4037822bf2b

Force Resync Application

When you need to force ArgoCD to re-sync (e.g., after manually deleting resources):

Method 1: Add Refresh Annotation

kubectl patch applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd --type merge \
  -p '{"metadata":{"annotations":{"argocd.argoproj.io/refresh":"hard"}}}'

Method 2: Update Spec (triggers reconciliation)

kubectl patch applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd --type merge \
  -p '{"spec":{"revisionHistoryLimit":10}}'

With Automated Sync Enabled: If syncPolicy.automated.selfHeal: true, ArgoCD will automatically recreate deleted resources.

Test Force Resync:

# 1. Delete all resources manually
kubectl delete all --all -n argo-guestbook

# 2. Trigger resync
kubectl patch applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd --type merge \
  -p '{"metadata":{"annotations":{"argocd.argoproj.io/refresh":"hard"}}}'

# 3. Verify resources recreated
kubectl get all -n argo-guestbook

Delete Application

Delete Application (resources remain by default):

kubectl delete applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd

Delete Application and Cleanup Resources:

# Delete application
kubectl delete applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd

# Clean up remaining resources
kubectl delete all --all -n argo-guestbook

Note: With syncPolicy.automated.prune: true, deleting the application will also delete managed resources.

Common Status Checks

# Full status overview
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd -o custom-columns=\
APPLICATION:.metadata.name,SYNC:.status.sync.status,HEALTH:.status.health.status,LAST_SYNC:.status.operationState.finishedAt

# Sync result details
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd -o custom-columns=\
PHASE:.status.operationState.phase,MESSAGE:.status.operationState.message

# Resource-level status
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.status.resources}' | jq .

Troubleshooting

Check Application Status

For Tenants (via KubeSphere API):

# Quick status check using labels
curl -s "${KUBESPHERE_API}/clusters/member-1/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/${DEVOPS_PROJECT}/applications/${APP_NAME}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" | jq -r '{
  health: .metadata.labels["gitops.kubesphere.io/health-status"],
  sync: .metadata.labels["gitops.kubesphere.io/sync-status"],
  argocdApp: .metadata.labels["gitops.kubesphere.io/argocd-application"]
}'

# Detailed status from .status.argoApp (JSON string)
curl -s "${KUBESPHERE_API}/clusters/member-1/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/${DEVOPS_PROJECT}/applications/${APP_NAME}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" | jq -r '.status.argoApp' | jq -r '{
  syncStatus: .sync.status,
  healthStatus: .health.status,
  revision: .sync.revision,
  resources: [.resources[] | {kind: .kind, name: .name, status: .status, health: .health.status}],
  operationPhase: .operationState.phase,
  operationMessage: .operationState.message
}'

For Admins (Direct ArgoCD Access):

# Get application details
kubectl get application <app-name> -n argocd -o yaml

# Check application conditions
kubectl get application <app-name> -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.status.conditions}'

# View application events
kubectl describe application <app-name> -n argocd

Common Issues

Tips from Experience

1. Use Full CRD Name in Commands:

# Correct
kubectl get applications.argoproj.io guestbook -n argocd

# May fail (ambiguous)
kubectl get application guestbook -n argocd

2. Automated Sync Behavior:

• prune: true - Deletes resources not in Git
• selfHeal: true - Recreates resources deleted manually
• Both recommended for production GitOps workflows

3. Namespace Creation: Use CreateNamespace=true sync option to auto-create target namespace:

syncOptions:
  - CreateNamespace=true

4. Force Refresh Timing: After adding refresh annotation, allow 5-10 seconds for reconciliation before checking status.

View Logs

# Application controller logs
kubectl logs -n argocd -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-application-controller

# Repo server logs
kubectl logs -n argocd -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-repo-server

# Server logs
kubectl logs -n argocd -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-server

Debug Sync Failures

# Get detailed sync status
kubectl get application <app-name> -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.status.operationState}' | jq .

# Check resource health
kubectl get application <app-name> -n argocd -o jsonpath='{.status.resources}'

# Force refresh
argocd app get <app-name> --hard-refresh

Integration with KubeSphere

GitOps Applications Resource

KubeSphere provides a applications.gitops.kubesphere.io CRD that integrates with ArgoCD:

apiVersion: gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: my-gitops-app
  namespace: my-project
spec:
  argoApp:
    source:
      repoURL: https://github.com/example/repo.git
      targetRevision: HEAD
      path: manifests
    destination:
      server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
      namespace: my-app
    syncPolicy:
      automated:
        prune: true
        selfHeal: true

Multi-Cluster Deployments

ArgoCD can deploy to multiple clusters managed by KubeSphere:

# List registered clusters in ArgoCD
argocd cluster list

# Add a KubeSphere member cluster
argocd cluster add <kubeconfig-context-name>

Version Information

Trigger Manual Sync via API

Tenant Method (KubeSphere API):

export API_TOKEN="<tenant-kubesphere-token>"

# Trigger sync
curl -s -X POST "${KUBESPHERE_API}/kapis/gitops.kubesphere.io/v1alpha1/namespaces/demo-project/applications/guestbook/sync" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prune":true}'

Notes:

• Returns HTTP 400 with another operation is already in progress if auto-sync is enabled and recently completed
• The sync API is accessible to tenants
• Response may be empty on success

Admin Method (ArgoCD API):

# Get ArgoCD admin token
ARGO_TOKEN=$(kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath='{.data.password}' | base64 -d)

# Trigger sync
curl -s -X POST "https://argocd-server.argocd/api/v1/applications/guestbook/sync" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${ARGO_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prune":true,"dryRun":false}'

References

• ArgoCD Documentation
• ArgoCD Helm Chart
• KubeSphere GitOps Guide
• DevOps Extension README