Argo CD

Argo CD is a declarative GitOps tool that continuously syncs your cluster state to your Git repository. This guide covers installing Pangolin and Newt using Argo CD.

Install Pangolin with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Pangolin namespace

kubectl create namespace pangolin

Step 2: Create Application

Create an Argo CD Application resource that tells Argo CD to deploy Pangolin using the Helm chart:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: pangolin
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default

  source:
    repoURL: https://charts.fossorial.io
    chart: pangolin
    targetRevision: 0.1.0-alpha.0  # or use ~0.1.0 for range
    helm:
      values: |
        deployment:
          type: controller
          mode: multi

        database:
          mode: cloudnativepg

        pangolin:
          config:
            app:
              dashboard_url: https://pangolin.example.com
            domains:
              domain1:
                base_domain: example.com
            gerbil:
              base_endpoint: vpn.example.com

        ingress:
          enabled: true
          className: traefik
          hosts:
            - host: pangolin.example.com
              paths:
                - path: /
                  pathType: Prefix
          tls:
            - secretName: pangolin-tls
              hosts:
                - pangolin.example.com

  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: pangolin

  syncPolicy:
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true

Apply the Application:

kubectl apply -f pangolin-app.yaml

Step 3: Monitor in Argo CD

In the Argo CD UI, you should see the pangolin application. Argo CD will:

Fetch the Helm chart from https://charts.fossorial.io
Render the chart with your inline values
Create all resources in the pangolin namespace
Continuously monitor for drift

Step 4: Verify deployment

# Check Argo CD status
kubectl describe app -n argocd pangolin

# Check pod status
kubectl get pods -n pangolin

Install Newt with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Newt auth secret

kubectl create secret generic newt-auth \
  -n pangolin \
  --from-literal=PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT=https://pangolin.example.com \
  --from-literal=NEWT_ID=<your-newt-id> \
  --from-literal=NEWT_SECRET=<your-newt-secret>

Step 2: Create Newt Application

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: newt
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default

  source:
    repoURL: https://charts.fossorial.io
    chart: newt
    targetRevision: 1.4.0
    helm:
      values: |
        newtInstances:
          - name: main-tunnel
            enabled: true
            auth:
              existingSecretName: newt-auth

  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: pangolin

  syncPolicy:
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true

Apply:

kubectl apply -f newt-app.yaml

Using Argo CD with Git repository

Instead of inline values, you can store configuration in Git and have Argo CD deploy from there:

Repository structure

infrastructure/
├── apps/
│   ├── pangolin/
│   │   ├── values-base.yaml
│   │   ├── values-prod.yaml
│   │   └── app.yaml  (Argo CD Application CRD)
│   └── newt/
│       ├── values.yaml
│       └── app.yaml
└── clusters/
    └── production/
        ├── pangolin.yaml (reference to app)
        └── newt.yaml

Git-based Application

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: pangolin
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default

  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/my-org/infrastructure
    path: apps/pangolin
    targetRevision: main
    helm:
      valuesObject:
        deployment:
          type: controller
          mode: multi
      releaseName: pangolin

  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: pangolin

  syncPolicy:
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true

Argo CD will watch the Git repository and auto-sync on changes to apps/pangolin.

Using Argo CD with Kustomize

Deploy Pangolin using Kustomize overlays:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: pangolin
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default

  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/my-org/infrastructure
    path: overlays/production
    targetRevision: main

  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: pangolin

  syncPolicy:
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true

Sync policies

Automated sync

prune: true: Deletes resources in cluster that are no longer in Git selfHeal: true: Resyncs if cluster drifts from Git (e.g., manual kubectl apply)

syncPolicy:
  automated:
    prune: true
    selfHeal: true
    allowEmpty: false  # prevent accidental deletion of all resources

Manual sync

Sync only when you explicitly trigger it:

syncPolicy:
  syncOptions:
    - CreateNamespace=true

Manually sync:

argocd app sync pangolin
# or use UI

Advanced: ApplicationSet for multi-environment

Deploy Pangolin and Newt across multiple clusters or environments:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: ApplicationSet
metadata:
  name: pangolin-multienv
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  generators:
    - list:
        elements:
          - cluster: production
            env: prod
          - cluster: staging
            env: staging
  template:
    metadata:
      name: pangolin-{{ .cluster }}
    spec:
      project: default
      source:
        repoURL: https://github.com/my-org/infrastructure
        path: clusters/{{ .cluster }}/pangolin
        targetRevision: main
      destination:
        name: '{{ .cluster }}'
        namespace: pangolin
      syncPolicy:
        automated:
          prune: true
          selfHeal: true

OCI Helm sources (if available)

If the Helm chart is available in an OCI registry:

source:
  repoURL: oci://registry.example.com/fossorial
  chart: pangolin
  targetRevision: 0.1.0-alpha.0
  helm:
    values: |
      # ... values ...

OCI chart references work the same as traditional Helm repository references in Argo CD.

Troubleshooting Argo CD deployments

Check Application status

kubectl describe app -n argocd pangolin
kubectl get app -n argocd pangolin -o yaml

Check sync status

argocd app get pangolin
argocd app logs pangolin

Manual sync

argocd app sync pangolin --force

Refresh from repository

argocd app diff pangolin

Delete Application

kubectl delete app -n argocd pangolin

Common patterns

Different values per environment

Use multiple Applications:

# production/pangolin-app.yaml
spec:
  source:
    helm:
      values: |
        resources:
          limits:
            cpu: 2000m
            memory: 2Gi
        replicas: 3

# staging/pangolin-app.yaml
spec:
  source:
    helm:
      values: |
        resources:
          limits:
            cpu: 500m
            memory: 512Mi
        replicas: 1

Secrets with sealed-secrets

Use sealed-secrets to safely store secrets in Git:

# In Git
apiVersion: bitnami.com/v1alpha1
kind: SealedSecret
metadata:
  name: newt-auth
  namespace: pangolin
spec:
  encryptedData:
    PANGOLIN_ENDPOINT: AgC4F5qd...
    NEWT_ID: AgB9l2pK...
    NEWT_SECRET: AgDq3jX...

About

Manage Pangolin

Self-host Pangolin

Development

Install Pangolin with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Pangolin namespace

Step 2: Create Application

Step 3: Monitor in Argo CD

Step 4: Verify deployment

Install Newt with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Newt auth secret

Step 2: Create Newt Application

Using Argo CD with Git repository

Repository structure

Git-based Application

Using Argo CD with Kustomize

Sync policies

Automated sync

Manual sync

Advanced: ApplicationSet for multi-environment

OCI Helm sources (if available)

Troubleshooting Argo CD deployments

Check Application status

Check sync status

Manual sync

Refresh from repository

Delete Application

Common patterns

Different values per environment

Secrets with sealed-secrets

Next steps

GitOps Overview

Flux

Pangolin Configuration

Troubleshooting

​Install Pangolin with Argo CD using Helm

​Step 1: Create Pangolin namespace

​Step 2: Create Application

​Step 3: Monitor in Argo CD

​Step 4: Verify deployment

​Install Newt with Argo CD using Helm

​Step 1: Create Newt auth secret

​Step 2: Create Newt Application

​Using Argo CD with Git repository

​Repository structure

​Git-based Application

​Using Argo CD with Kustomize

​Sync policies

​Automated sync

​Manual sync

​Advanced: ApplicationSet for multi-environment

​OCI Helm sources (if available)

​Troubleshooting Argo CD deployments

​Check Application status

​Check sync status

​Manual sync

​Refresh from repository

​Delete Application

​Common patterns

​Different values per environment

​Secrets with sealed-secrets

​Next steps

GitOps Overview

Flux

Pangolin Configuration

Troubleshooting

Install Pangolin with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Pangolin namespace

Step 2: Create Application

Step 3: Monitor in Argo CD

Step 4: Verify deployment

Install Newt with Argo CD using Helm

Step 1: Create Newt auth secret

Step 2: Create Newt Application

Using Argo CD with Git repository

Repository structure

Git-based Application

Using Argo CD with Kustomize

Sync policies

Automated sync

Manual sync

Advanced: ApplicationSet for multi-environment

OCI Helm sources (if available)

Troubleshooting Argo CD deployments

Check Application status

Check sync status

Manual sync

Refresh from repository

Delete Application

Common patterns

Different values per environment

Secrets with sealed-secrets

Next steps