Master GitOps with Argo Rollouts

Mastering GitOps with Argo Rollouts

In the realm of Kubernetes, progressive delivery is crucial for reducing risk while deploying new versions of software. Argo Rollouts, a Kubernetes controller and a part of the Argo Project, offers advanced deployment capabilities such as blue-green deployments, canary releases, and experiments. This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to mastering GitOps using Argo Rollouts to achieve advanced deployment strategies.

Prerequisites

Kubernetes Cluster (version 1.16 or newer)
kubectl command line tool installed
Basic knowledge of Kubernetes and deployment strategies
Access to a GitHub repository for Argo Rollouts (Official site)

Getting Started with Argo Rollouts

To begin, ensure that your Kubernetes cluster is set up and running. Argo Rollouts require specific resources within the cluster, so having operational knowledge of Kubernetes is beneficial.

kubectl create namespace argo-rollouts

Create a dedicated namespace for Argo Rollouts, ensuring a clean environment for managing deployments.

Installation of Argo Rollouts

Install the Rollouts controller to your cluster with the following:

kubectl apply -n argo-rollouts -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-rollouts/stable/manifests/install.yaml

This command deploys the required resources into your Kubernetes environment.

Creating Your First Rollout

Implement a basic Rollout resource. Here is a simple configuration file example:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Rollout
metadata:
  name: example-rollout
  namespace: argo-rollouts
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: example
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: example
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: example
        image: example/image:latest
        imagePullPolicy: Always
  strategy:
    canary:
      steps:
      - setWeight: 20
      - pause: {}
      - setWeight: 50
      - pause: {}

The above configuration specifies a simple canary strategy, incrementally increasing traffic to new versions.

Troubleshooting

Common issues include misconfigured manifests and permissions. Confirm that your configurations align with the official documentation (Official site).

Advanced Features

Explore features such as automatic promotions, aborts, and rollback options. Leverage our previous guide on ArgoCD for insights into integrating Argo Rollouts with existing GitOps workflows.