1.1 Download the Installation Manifest#

First, download the official ArgoCD installation manifest:

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wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml

1.2 Configure a Custom Root Path (Optional)#

If you want to access ArgoCD through a sub-path (e.g., http://<your-ip>/argocd-lab) instead of using a dedicated domain, you’ll need to modify the argocd-server Deployment in the downloaded install.yaml.

Find the Deployment resource named argocd-server and add the --rootpath, --basehref, and --insecure arguments:

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apiVersion: apps/v1
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kind: Deployment
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metadata:
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  labels:
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    app.kubernetes.io/component: server
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    app.kubernetes.io/name: argocd-server
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    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: argocd
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  name: argocd-server
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...
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# Add these under spec.template.spec.containers[0].args
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spec:
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     containers:
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     - args:
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       - /usr/local/bin/argocd-server
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       - --staticassets
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       - /shared/app
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       - --insecure
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       - --rootpath
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       - /argocd-lab
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       - --basehref
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       - /argocd-lab

Note: The path /argocd-lab is used in this guide as an example to avoid conflicts with ArgoCD’s default /argocd path. Feel free to change it to whatever path suits your needs — just make sure it stays consistent across your Ingress configuration and CLI login commands. If you’re using a dedicated domain or want ArgoCD on the root URL, you can skip the --rootpath and --basehref flags entirely.

1.3 Create the Namespace and Deploy#

Create the argocd namespace and apply the manifest:

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kubectl create namespace argocd

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kubectl apply -f install.yaml -n argocd

2.1 Check If an Ingress Controller Exists#

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kubectl get ingressclass

If the output is No resources found, you need to install one.

2.2 Install NGINX Ingress Controller#

Since we’re on bare-metal (no cloud LoadBalancer), install the NGINX Ingress Controller using the bare-metal manifest:

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kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/controller-v1.11.3/deploy/static/provider/baremetal/deploy.yaml

2.3 Enable Host Networking#

Edit the ingress-nginx-controller Deployment to enable hostNetwork, which allows the controller to bind directly to port 80/443 on the node — no external LoadBalancer or MetalLB required:

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kubectl edit deployment ingress-nginx-controller -n ingress-nginx

Add hostNetwork: true under spec.template.spec, at the same level as containers:

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spec:
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  template:
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    spec:
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      hostNetwork: true
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      containers:
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      - name: controller
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        ...

2.4 Verify the Installation#

Wait a moment, then confirm the controller pod is running and the IngressClass is registered:

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kubectl get pods -n ingress-nginx

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kubectl get ingressclass

Expected output:

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NAME    CONTROLLER             PARAMETERS   AGE
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nginx   k8s.io/ingress-nginx   <none>       30s

5.1 Retrieve the Default Admin Password#

ArgoCD generates a random initial password for the admin account during installation:

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argocd admin initial-password -n argocd

Example output:

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[PASSWORD]
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This password must be only used for first time login. We strongly recommend
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you update the password using `argocd account update-password`.

5.2 Log In via CLI#

Log in using the generated password. Replace <your-ip> with your node’s IP address:

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argocd login <your-ip>:80 --grpc-web-root-path=/argocd-lab --plaintext --insecure

When prompted, enter admin as the username and the password from the previous step.

5.3 Change the Admin Password#

For security, update the default password immediately:

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argocd account update-password

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*** Enter password of currently logged in user (admin):
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*** Enter new password for user admin:
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*** Confirm new password for user admin:
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Password updated
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Context '<your-ip>:80/argocd-lab' updated

8.1 Create the Application#

Create a sample application called simple-deploy pointing to a Git repository:

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argocd app create simple-deploy \
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  --repo https://github.com/maliqpotter/argo-simple-project.git \
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  --path simple-demo \
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  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
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  --dest-namespace default

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application 'simple-deploy' created

8.2 Check the Application Status#

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argocd app get simple-deploy

The initial status will be OutOfSync because no Kubernetes resources have been created yet:

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Name:               argocd/simple-deploy
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Project:            default
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Server:             https://kubernetes.default.svc
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Namespace:          default
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Source:
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- Repo:             https://github.com/maliqpotter/argo-simple-project.git
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  Path:             simple-demo
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Sync Status:        OutOfSync from  (1873ef1)
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Health Status:      Missing
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GROUP  KIND        NAMESPACE  NAME          STATUS     HEALTH   HOOK  MESSAGE
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apps   Deployment  default    simple-nginx  OutOfSync  Missing

8.3 Sync (Deploy) the Application#

Trigger a sync to deploy the application:

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argocd app sync simple-deploy

Once the sync completes, verify the status:

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argocd app get simple-deploy

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Name:               argocd/simple-deploy
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Project:            default
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Server:             https://kubernetes.default.svc
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Namespace:          default
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Source:
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- Repo:             https://github.com/maliqpotter/argo-simple-project.git
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  Path:             simple-demo
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Sync Policy:        Manual
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Sync Status:        Synced to  (1873ef1)
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Health Status:      Healthy
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GROUP  KIND        NAMESPACE  NAME          STATUS  HEALTH   HOOK  MESSAGE
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apps   Deployment  default    simple-nginx  Synced  Healthy        deployment.apps/simple-nginx created

8.4 Verify the Resources#

Check that the pods and deployment were created:

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kubectl get pod -n default

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NAME                             READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
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simple-deploy-5d7468b6f8-75w68   1/1     Running   0          2m11s
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simple-deploy-5d7468b6f8-mkkph   1/1     Running   0          2m11s
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simple-deploy-5d7468b6f8-mkgdz   1/1     Running   0          2m11s

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kubectl get deployment -n default

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NAME            READY   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
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simple-deploy   3/3     3            3           2m38s

9.1 Open the Dashboard#

After logging in, you’ll see the ArgoCD dashboard showing your existing applications (like the simple-deploy app we just created via CLI).

Click the + NEW APP button to create a new application.

9.2 Fill in the General Settings#

Under the GENERAL section, configure:

• Application Name: nginx-with-ingress
• Project Name: default
• Sync Policy: Manual (or Automatic if you want auto-sync)

9.3 Configure the Source and Destination#

Under the SOURCE section:

• Repository URL: https://github.com/maliqpotter/argo-simple-project.git
• Revision: HEAD (or the specific branch you want, e.g., main)
• Path: nginx-with-ingress

Under the DESTINATION section:

• Cluster URL: https://kubernetes.default.svc
• Namespace: default

Then click the CREATE button at the top of the form.

9.4 Sync the Application#

Once the nginx-with-ingress application appears on the dashboard with an OutOfSync status, click the SYNC button on the application card, then click SYNCHRONIZE to confirm.

After the sync completes, the application status will change to Synced and Healthy. You can click into the application to see a visual map of all the Kubernetes resources that were created (Deployments, ReplicaSets, Pods, etc.).

10.1 Set Default Namespace#

Since ArgoCD is installed in the argocd namespace, you can set it as your default to avoid typing -n argocd on every command:

Option A — Set the kubectl context:

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kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=argocd

Option B — Use an environment variable:

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export ARGOCD_OPTS='--port-forward-namespace argocd'

10.2 Enable Bash Completion#

Speed up your CLI workflow with tab completion:

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argocd completion bash | sudo tee /etc/bash_completion.d/argocd

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source ~/.bashrc