GitOps Pipeline with Argo CD and Argo Rollouts

Overview

This repo demonstrates setting up a GitOps pipeline using Argo CD for continuous deployment and Argo Rollouts for advanced deployment strategies within a Kubernetes environment. This automates the deployment and management of a simple web application.

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your machine.
• kubectl installed on your machine.
• Minikube installed on your machine.

Summary of Process

1. Start Minikube with Docker as the Driver:

   • Start Minikube using Docker as the driver.

     minikube start --driver=docker

     

2. Setup and Configuration:

   • Created a GitHub repository to host the source code.

   • Install Argo CD on the Kubernetes cluster following the official documentation.

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

   • Install the Argo Rollouts controller in the Kubernetes cluster following the official guide.

     kubectl create namespace argo-rollouts
     kubectl apply -n argo-rollouts -f https://github.com/argoproj/argo-rollouts/releases/latest/download/install.yaml

     

3. Creating the GitOps Pipeline: Dockerize the Application:

   • Build a Docker image for the web application and push it to a public container registry. Here

     docker build -t ritish134/web-app:v1 .
     docker push ritish134/web-app:v1

   

   • Modified Kubernetes manifests in the Git repository to use the Docker image.
   • Configured Argo CD to monitor the repository and automatically deploy changes to the Kubernetes cluster.

4. Implementing a Canary Release with Argo Rollouts:

   • Defined a rollout strategy using Argo Rollouts, specifying a canary release strategy.
   • Triggered a rollout by updating the Docker image, pushing the new version to the registry, and updating the rollout definition.
   • Monitored the rollout using Argo Rollouts to ensure successful completion of the canary release.

   

Challenges Encountered and Resolutions

• ImagePullBackOff and ErrImagePull Errors:

  • Challenge: Encountered issues with pulling the Docker image during deployment.
  • Resolution: Verified image availability, checked network connectivity, and ensured proper Docker and Kubernetes configurations.

  

• Pending External IP for LoadBalancer Service:

  • Challenge: Faced difficulties obtaining an external IP address for the LoadBalancer service.
  • Resolution: Used port forwarding or NodePort service types for local Kubernetes clusters.

  

  

Clean Up

To cleanly remove all resources created from the Kubernetes cluster:

1. Delete Argo CD Application:

   • Log in to the Argo CD UI.
   • Delete the web-app application to remove deployed resources from the cluster.

2. Uninstall Argo CD and Argo Rollouts Controllers:

• Uninstall Argo CD:

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

• Uninstall Argo Rollouts:

  kubectl delete -n argo-rollouts -f https://github.com/argoproj/argo-rollouts/releases/latest/download/install.yaml
  

3. Delete Kubernetes Resources:

   • Use kubectl delete commands to delete any remaining Kubernetes resources, such as deployments, services, and pods.

4. Clean Up Git Repository:

   • Optionally, clean up the Git repository by removing any files or branches related to it.

By following these steps, we can ensure a clean removal of all resources created, leaving the Kubernetes cluster and Git repository in original state.