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Install ArgoCD On-Premise & GCP

ArgoCD watches your Git repo and automatically syncs it to your Kubernetes cluster. Push code → ArgoCD deploys. No manual kubectl apply spam ever again.

Prerequisites (Quick Check)​

Before we start, make sure you have:

  • A running Kubernetes cluster
    On-premise (kubeadm, k3s, RKE2) or GKE—doesn't matter.

  • kubectl installed and connected
    Test with:

    kubectl get nodes

    You should see your nodes in Ready status.

  • Cluster admin access
    ArgoCD needs to create namespaces, CRDs, and RBAC roles.

On-premis Installation​

Step 1: Install ArgoCD (One Command)​

Create the ArgoCD namespace and install everything in one go:

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

This installs all ArgoCD components: API server, repo server, application controller, Redis, and all the required configs.

Wait for all pods to start:

kubectl get pods -n argocd -w

After 1–2 minutes, you should see all pods in Running status:

NAME                                  READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
argocd-application-controller-0       1/1     Running   0          1m
argocd-dex-server-xxxx                1/1     Running   0          1m
argocd-redis-xxxx                     1/1     Running   0          1m
argocd-repo-server-xxxx               1/1     Running   0          1m
argocd-server-xxxx                    1/1     Running   0          1m

Press Ctrl+C to stop watching once all pods are running.

Step 2: Access the ArgoCD UI​

By default, ArgoCD runs as a ClusterIP service—only accessible inside the cluster. The easiest way to access it is port-forwarding.

Run this command:

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

Keep this terminal running. Now open your browser and go to:

https://localhost:8080

You'll see a certificate warning (ArgoCD uses a self-signed cert). Click Advanced → Proceed to continue.

Step 3: Get the Admin Password​

ArgoCD generates a random admin password on first install and stores it in a Kubernetes secret.

Get the password:

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

Copy the output (e.g., RGfpwaAvhnh14Krl).

Login credentials:

  • Username: admin
  • Password: (the password you just copied)

Enter these in the ArgoCD login page.

Installing on GKE (Google Cloud)​

The install process is identical—just create a GKE cluster first, then run the same commands.

Create a GKE cluster:

gcloud container clusters create argocd-demo \
  --zone us-central1-a \
  --num-nodes 3

Connect kubectl:

gcloud container clusters get-credentials argocd-demo --zone us-central1-a

Install ArgoCD (same command):

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

Access UI:

If you want a public IP instead of port-forward on GKE:

kubectl patch svc argocd-server -n argocd -p '{"spec": {"type": "LoadBalancer"}}'

Wait 2 minutes, then get the external IP:

kubectl get svc argocd-server -n argocd

Open https://<EXTERNAL-IP> in your browser.

Deploy Your First App​

Let's deploy a sample app from ArgoCD's official examples repo.

Via CLI (fastest):

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

This creates an app but doesn't deploy it yet.

Sync (deploy) the app:

argocd app sync guestbook

ArgoCD will apply all Kubernetes manifests from the Git repo to your cluster.

Check status:

argocd app get guestbook

You should see Health Status: Healthy and Sync Status: Synced.

Verify in Kubernetes:

kubectl get all -n default

You'll see the guestbook deployment, service, and pods running.

Via UI (If You Prefer Clicking)​

  1. In the ArgoCD UI, click + NEW APP.
  2. Fill in:
    • Application Name: guestbook
    • Project: default
    • Sync Policy: Manual (or Automatic if you want auto-sync on every Git commit)
    • Repository URL: https://github.com/argoproj/argocd-example-apps.git
    • Revision: HEAD
    • Path: guestbook
    • Cluster URL: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    • Namespace: default
  3. Click CREATE.
  4. The app appears as OutOfSync. Click SYNC → SYNCHRONIZE.
  5. After a few seconds, the app turns Healthy and Synced.

Common Issues (Quick Fixes)​

Pods stuck in Pending:

kubectl describe pod -n argocd <pod-name>

Usually means not enough resources (CPU/RAM). Scale down or add nodes.

Can't access localhost:8080:

Make sure port-forward is still running in another terminal. If it stopped, run it again:

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

App stays OutOfSync:

Click SYNC in the UI or run:

argocd app sync <app-name>

Forgot admin password:

Get it again:

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

That's It​

You now have ArgoCD running and a sample app deployed via GitOps. From here:

  • Push changes to your Git repo → ArgoCD auto-syncs (if you enabled automatic sync).
  • Add your own apps by pointing ArgoCD to your repos.
  • Deploy to multiple clusters by adding external clusters with argocd cluster add.