Step-by-Step Guide to ArgoCD Canary Rollouts for Kubernetes

Introduction

Continuous Deployment (CD) is a critical part of modern DevOps practices, enabling organizations to deliver updates quickly, reliably, and with minimal downtime. ArgoCD, a declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, provides advanced deployment strategies, including Canary Rollouts, to achieve safer and more controlled updates to your applications. Canary deployment involves gradually rolling out changes to a small subset of users before a full release, allowing for quick rollback in case of issues.

This blog explores ArgoCD’s Rollout Canary feature, its popularity, implementation steps, and FAQs for a smooth adoption process.

Pioneers in Cloud Consulting & Migration Services

Reduced infrastructural costs
Accelerated application deployment

Get Started

Why is ArgoCD Rollout Canary Popular?

ArgoCD Rollout Canary is widely adopted because of its ability to automate deployments, integrate seamlessly with Kubernetes, and adhere to GitOps principles. By keeping Git as the single source of truth, it ensures consistency, auditability, and transparency in deployments. It supports progressive delivery, where incremental updates are rolled out, minimizing risks and exposure to failure. Furthermore, integrating with monitoring tools makes rollouts metrics-driven, enabling teams to make informed decisions about promotion or rollback. Canary Rollouts begin by routing a small portion of traffic to the new version while monitoring its performance. If the application behaves as expected, more traffic is gradually routed to the new version. If issues arise, the rollout is paused or rolled back to the previous stable state, ensuring minimal disruption.

Steps to Implement ArgoCD Rollout Canary

Download the AWS CLI installer:

curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"

1	curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"

2. Install the unzip utility (if not already installed):

apt install unzip

1	apt install unzip

3. Extract the installer package:

sudo unzip awscliv2.zip

1	sudo unzip awscliv2.zip

4. Run the installation script:

sudo ./aws/install

1	sudo ./aws/install

5. Verify the installation by checking the AWS CLI version:

aws --version

1	aws --version

Steps to Install eksctl

Download the latest release and extract it in one command:

curl --silent --location "https://github.com/weaveworks/eksctl/releases/latest/download/eksctl_$(uname -s)_amd64.tar.gz" | tar xz -C /tmp

1	curl --silent --location "https://github.com/weaveworks/eksctl/releases/latest/download/eksctl_$(uname -s)_amd64.tar.gz" \| tar xz -C /tmp

2. Move the extracted binary to a directory in your system’s PATH:

sudo mv /tmp/eksctl /usr/local/bin

1	sudo mv /tmp/eksctl /usr/local/bin

3. Verify the installation by checking the eksctl version:

eksctl version

1	eksctl version

Steps to Install kubectl

Download the kubectl binary and place it in /usr/local/bin:

sudo curl --silent --location -o /usr/local/bin/kubectl   https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/amazon-eks/1.22.6/2022-03-09/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl

1	sudo curl --silent --location -o /usr/local/bin/kubectl https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/amazon-eks/1.22.6/2022-03-09/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl

2. Make the binary executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubectl

1	sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubectl

3. Verify the installation by checking the kubectl version:

kubectl version --short –client

1	kubectl version --short –client

4. Check for the updated kubeconfig

aws eks update-kubeconfig --name demo-eks --region ap-south-1

1	aws eks update-kubeconfig --name demo-eks --region ap-south-1

kub4

Installing and Configuring ArgoCD

Add the ArgoCD Helm Repository

helm repo add argo-cd https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm

1	helm repo add argo-cd https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm

2. Install ArgoCD Using Helm

helm install argocd argo-cd/argo-cd

1	helm install argocd argo-cd/argo-cd

3. Verify the ArgoCD Deployment and Services

Check the status of the ArgoCD deployment and services:

kubectl get deployment  
kubectl get svc

1 2	kubectl get deployment kubectl get svc

4. Expose the ArgoCD API Server

By default, the ArgoCD API Server is not accessible externally. To expose it using a Load Balancer, run:

kubectl patch svc argocd-server -p '{"spec": {"type": "LoadBalancer"}}'

1	kubectl patch svc argocd-server -p '{"spec": {"type": "LoadBalancer"}}'

argo4

5. Access the ArgoCD Service

Retrieve the EXTERNAL-IP of the argocd-server service:

Copy the EXTERNAL-IP and open it in a browser.
If you encounter a security warning, click Advanced and then Proceed to <IP>.

At the login page:

Username: admin
Password: Retrieve the initial admin password with this command:

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

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

Copy the generated password and log in.

Connect a Repository

Navigate to Settings > Repositories and follow these steps:

Click the Connect Repo Using HTTPS button.
Enter your repository credentials and click Connect.

Create an Application

After connecting the repository, click Create Application to set up your first deployment.

argo8

argo8b

argo8c

argo8d

argo8e

ArgoCD Manifest files:

rollout.yaml
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Rollout
metadata:
  name: rollouts-demo
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: rollouts-demo
  strategy:
    canary:
      steps:
        - setWeight: 20
        - pause:
            duration: 2m
        - setWeight: 40
        - pause:
            duration: 2m
        - setWeight: 60
        - pause:
            duration: 10s
        - setWeight: 80
        - pause:
            duration: 10s
        - setWeight: 100
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: rollouts-demo
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: rollouts-demo
          image: argoproj/rollouts-demo:green
          ports:
            - containerPort: 8080

service.yaml

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: rollouts-demo-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: rollouts-demo
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 8080

rollout.yaml

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1

kind: Rollout

metadata:

name: rollouts-demo

spec:

replicas: 3

selector:

matchLabels:

app: rollouts-demo

strategy:

canary:

steps:

- setWeight: 20

- pause:

duration: 2m

- setWeight: 40

- pause:

duration: 2m

- setWeight: 60

- pause:

duration: 10s

- setWeight: 80

- pause:

duration: 10s

- setWeight: 100

template:

metadata:

labels:

app: rollouts-demo

spec:

containers:

- name: rollouts-demo

image: argoproj/rollouts-demo:green

ports:

- containerPort: 8080

service.yaml

apiVersion: v1

kind: Service

metadata:

name: rollouts-demo-service

spec:

selector:

app: rollouts-demo

ports:

- protocol: TCP

port: 80

targetPort: 8080

Installing Argo CD Rollouts Controller and Kubectl Plugin

Follow these steps to set up the Argo CD Rollouts Controller and install the required kubectl plugin:

Install the Argo Rollouts Controller

Create a namespace for Argo Rollouts:

kubectl create namespace argo-rollouts

1	kubectl create namespace argo-rollouts

Apply the installation manifest to deploy the controller:

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

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

Install the Argo Rollouts Kubectl Plugin

To manage Argo Rollouts, install the kubectl plugin with the following steps:

Download the plugin binary using curl:

curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-rollouts/releases/latest/download/kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64

1	curl -LO https://github.com/argoproj/argo-rollouts/releases/latest/download/kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64

For Linux distributions, replace darwin with linux in the URL.

2. Make the binary executable:

chmod +x ./kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64

1	chmod +x ./kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64

3. Move the binary to your system’s PATH:

sudo mv ./kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64 /usr/local/bin/kubectl-argo-rollouts

1	sudo mv ./kubectl-argo-rollouts-darwin-amd64 /usr/local/bin/kubectl-argo-rollouts

4. Verify the installation by checking the plugin version:

kubectl argo rollouts version

1	kubectl argo rollouts version

Argo rollout Dashboard

argodash

argodash2

Deploying and Monitoring a Rollout with Argo Rollouts

Once you have configured Argo Rollouts, follow these steps to deploy and monitor your Rollout effectively:

Apply the Rollout Manifest

Ensure the Rollout configuration in your repository is fixed and up-to-date. Deploy the Rollout by applying the YAML manifest:

kubectl apply -f rollout.yaml

1	kubectl apply -f rollout.yaml

Verify the Rollout Status

To check the progress of your Rollout:

kubectl get rollout rollouts-demo

1	kubectl get rollout rollouts-demo

The status will indicate Progressing or Healthy if the deployment is successful.
If any issues arise, the status will show as Degraded.

For a detailed status report:

kubectl describe rollout rollouts-demo

1	kubectl describe rollout rollouts-demo

Inspect Pods and ReplicaSets

To see the Pods and ReplicaSets being created or updated as part of the Rollout:

kubectl get pods 

kubectl get rs

kubectl get pods

kubectl get rs

Pods will be updated gradually based on the Canary strategy defined in the Rollout configuration.

Monitor Canary Deployment Progress

If you have the Argo Rollouts CLI installed, you can get more detailed insights into the deployment progress:

kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo 

kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo --watch

kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo

kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo --watch

This displays weight percentages being applied step by step and shows Pod readiness during the Canary process.

Test Rollback Mechanism

To test the rollback feature, simulate a failure by introducing a faulty image. Edit the Rollout manifest and update the image tag to a non-existent or invalid value:

image: argoproj/rollouts-demo:invalid

Apply the updated manifest and monitor the Rollout status:

kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo --watch

1	kubectl argo rollouts get rollout rollouts-demo --watch

Observe how the Rollout handles the failure and reverts to a stable version.

Conclusion

ArgoCD Rollout Canary is a robust deployment strategy that ensures safe and reliable application updates by combining GitOps practices, progressive delivery, and metrics-driven monitoring.

By leveraging this approach, teams can enhance their deployment confidence, minimize downtime, and maintain application stability during updates.

Drop a query if you have any questions regarding ArgoCD Rollout Canary and we will get back to you quickly.

Making IT Networks Enterprise-ready – Cloud Management Services

Accelerated cloud migration
End-to-end view of the cloud environment

Get Started

About CloudThat

CloudThat is an award-winning company and the first in India to offer cloud training and consulting services worldwide. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, AWS Advanced Tier Training Partner, and Google Cloud Platform Partner, CloudThat has empowered over 850,000 professionals through 600+ cloud certifications winning global recognition for its training excellence including 20 MCT Trainers in Microsoft’s Global Top 100 and an impressive 12 awards in the last 8 years. CloudThat specializes in Cloud Migration, Data Platforms, DevOps, IoT, and cutting-edge technologies like Gen AI & AI/ML. It has delivered over 500 consulting projects for 250+ organizations in 30+ countries as it continues to empower professionals and enterprises to thrive in the digital-first world.

FAQs

1. What makes ArgoCD Rollout Canary better than traditional deployments?

ANS: – ArgoCD Rollout Canary ensures a gradual and monitored release process, allowing early detection and rollback of issues, which reduces the risk of deployment failures.

2. Can I integrate custom metrics for canary analysis?

ANS: – Yes, Argo Rollouts supports integration with Prometheus and other monitoring tools for custom metric-based decision-making during rollouts.

WRITTEN BY Deepika N

Deepika N works as a Senior Research Associate - DevOps and holds a Master’s degree in Computer Applications. She is passionate about DevOps and related technologies. Deepika has strong expertise in AWS and Azure DevOps, Kubernetes (EKS), Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines. She is proficient in infrastructure as code, automation, monitoring, security enforcement, and multi-cloud deployment strategies. Skilled in version control, infrastructure documentation, cloud-native technologies, and managing production workloads, container platforms, and DevSecOps practices, Deepika brings comprehensive hands-on experience to her role.