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Argo CD offers flexible installation options to suit different use cases, from testing to production deployments. Choose the installation method that best fits your requirements.

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Installation Types

Argo CD has two primary installation types:

Multi-Tenant

Full-featured installation with UI, API, and RBAC for serving multiple teams

Core

Lightweight headless installation for single-cluster GitOps

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Multi-Tenant Installation

The multi-tenant installation is the most common deployment method, typically maintained by a platform team to service multiple application developer teams.

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Standard Installation

Recommended for: Testing, demonstrations, and single-cluster deployments
The standard installation includes all Argo CD components with single replicas: Components:
  • API Server (argocd-server)
  • Repository Server (argocd-repo-server)
  • Application Controller (argocd-application-controller)
  • Redis
  • Dex (for SSO)
  • ApplicationSet Controller
  • Notifications Controller

Standard Installation

Get started with the standard installation

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High Availability Installation

Production environments should use the HA installation for reliability and resiliency
The HA installation includes the same components but configured for high availability: Key Differences:
  • Multiple replicas for critical components
  • Redis HA with Sentinel
  • Pod anti-affinity rules
  • Requires at least 3 nodes

HA Installation

Set up Argo CD for production

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Installation Comparison

ComponentStandardHigh Availability
API Server1 replicaMultiple replicas
Repo Server1 replicaMultiple replicas
Application Controller1 replica (StatefulSet)Multiple replicas (StatefulSet)
RedisSingle instanceRedis HA with Sentinel
Use CaseTesting, demosProduction
Min Nodes13 (due to anti-affinity)
IPv6 SupportYesNo

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Cluster Access Modes

Argo CD supports two cluster access modes:

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Cluster-Admin Access

install.yaml - Standard installation with cluster-admin access
  • Use when Argo CD manages applications in the same cluster it runs in
  • Can deploy to kubernetes.svc.default (in-cluster)
  • Can also deploy to external clusters with credentials
  • Includes ClusterRole and ClusterRoleBinding
The ClusterRoleBinding is bound to a ServiceAccount in the argocd namespace. Be cautious when changing the namespace - update the ClusterRoleBinding accordingly.

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Namespace-Level Access

namespace-install.yaml - Installation with namespace-level privileges only
  • Use when Argo CD only deploys to external clusters
  • No cluster-level permissions required
  • Ideal for multi-instance deployments (different teams/namespaces)
  • Can still deploy to same cluster with explicit credentials
  • Only deploys Argo CD resources (Applications, ApplicationSets, AppProjects) locally
Argo CD CRDs are not included in namespace-install.yaml and must be installed separately.

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Installation Methods

Argo CD manifests can be installed using multiple methods:
Direct installation using kubectl:
kubectl create namespace argocd
kubectl apply -n argocd --server-side --force-conflicts \
  -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml
The --server-side --force-conflicts flags are required because some CRDs exceed the size limit for client-side apply.

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Custom Namespace Installation

To install Argo CD in a custom namespace, use Kustomize to patch the ClusterRoleBinding: 
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

namespace: <your-custom-namespace>
resources:
  - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml

patches:
  - patch: |-
      - op: replace
        path: /subjects/0/namespace
        value: <your-custom-namespace>
    target:
      kind: ClusterRoleBinding

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Next Steps

1

Choose Installation Type

Select between Standard, High Availability, or Core Mode based on your requirements.
2

Install Argo CD

Follow the installation guide for your chosen deployment method.
3

Access the UI

Retrieve the initial admin password and access the Argo CD UI.
4

Configure

Set up repositories, projects, and applications.

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Version Support

For detailed information about Argo CD’s version support policy and tested Kubernetes versions, refer to the Release Process documentation.

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