Install Argo CD on a Kubernetes cluster

Argo CD is a practical next step after a working Kubernetes cluster because it gives the cluster a GitOps control plane. Start by creating a dedicated namespace, then apply the official stable installation manifest into that namespace.

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

The installation creates several controllers and the Argo CD API server. Check the namespace and wait until the pods are running before trying to log in.

kubectl get pods -n argocd

STATUS
Running

Argo CD creates an initial admin password as a Kubernetes secret. Read it once, use it for the first login, and replace it later with your normal authentication approach.

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

The default username is admin. The password is the value printed by the command above.

For a first check, use kubectl port-forward instead of exposing Argo CD publicly. This opens a temporary local tunnel to the Argo CD server service.

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

Open https://localhost:8080 when the port-forward command is running. If the command is running over SSH on a remote server, use an SSH tunnel or explicitly expose the service later with a proper Gateway, Ingress, or LoadBalancer setup.

URL: https://localhost:8080
User: admin
Password: value from argocd-initial-admin-secret