Improving the integration story with ArgoCD

[mumoshu]

I like ArgoCD. I even have added tiny documentation around this topic in #1402, and created an issue about adding support for ArgoCD sync waves and phases #1110.

But we've never had an umbrella issue about this topic. Here's the one.

How are you using Helmfile with ArgoCD? What were your pain points? Do you have any open source project to share around this topic?

[mumoshu]

Apparently helmfile's --args which is being removed in #1804 is crucial to use Helmfile with ArgoCD.

[GolubevV]

One of the best possible integration scenarios I can think of is to get a direct support of Helmfile in the ArgoCD - e.g to become first-class citizen.

it is already possible to plug-in helmfile via the plugin integration mechanism however it will be much more easier to use it as a top-level configuration like it is already done for Helm, KSonnet, Kustomize, Jsonnet.

This approach would allow to configure some Helmfile template parameters like environment profile, helm template args , api version and k8s versions and maybe also external state value files directly from the ArgoCD UI or CRD definition, without need to pass through the bash scripts parameters integration and propagation.

[mumoshu]

@GolubevV Hey! Thanks- that sounds true. Have you already submitted a feature request to ArgoCD? That kind of integration would be better done by ArgoCD and I think we have little thing to do from Helmfile-side there.

[travisghansen]

argoproj/argo-cd#2143

[travisghansen]

Until the upstream plugin is revisited I’m happy to collaborate and improve the existing script!

[GolubevV]

@GolubevV Hey! Thanks- that sounds true. Have you already submitted a feature request to ArgoCD? That kind of integration would be better done by ArgoCD and I think we have little thing to do from Helmfile-side there.

I added some thoughts on better support to the Argo-CD feature request referenced by @travisghansen.
Problem with that request is that it is already closed - I wonder if it can be worth to create new one with additional arguments/features released after initial request - like secret backends support, nested helmfiles etc.

[lukeplausin]

I used helmfile with ArgoCD to automate deployments in K8 with helm dependencies stored in a private chartmuseum and also customising the deployment values with secrets from Vault. Helmfile does the job nicely and was the only way I managed to get this deployment scenario to work.
It took a very long time to figure out how the configuration in ArgoCD and in Helmfile should be, and I could not find any working examples anywhere. Also the behaviour of deployments using helmfile is different to the behaviour of ArgoCD (helmfile will refuse to touch resources which were previously deployed by ArgoCD if the annotations are not added manually).
I think improving documentation with working samples of the ArgoCD plugin resource, example helmfiles and perhaps uploading a custom build of ArgoCD with helmfile and vault binaries on dockerhub would be helpful.

[mumoshu]

@lukeplausin Thanks for sharing your experience! A bit hesitant to say, but I believe you're the best person to write the doc you mentioned 😉 Would you mind trying? I'd happily review it.

The rationale is that I know about Helmfile but not much about the real use-cases like ArgoCD+Helmfile as I have less time using it than developing it.

What we already have is just https://github.com/roboll/helmfile#argocd-integration. Perhaps we'd better enhance it or add another "examples" section?

[lukeplausin]

I'll see what I can do later today..

[lukeplausin]

@mumoshu
I've tried my best to write up what I did to get ArgoCD working with Helmfile, Vault and private docker/chart storage.
#1882

[lukeplausin]

Hi @mumoshu
Were you able to review the pull request? Do you have any feedback?
Thanks

[mumoshu]

Sorry for the radio silence but #1882 has been merged! Thanks for your contribution @lukeplausin