Install ArgoCD on Kubernetes (Step-by-Step 2026)

Here is how to install ArgoCD on Kubernetes in 2026. Tested and verified.

Install ArgoCD

# Create namespace
kubectl create namespace argocd

# Install ArgoCD
kubectl apply -n argocd -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml

# Wait for pods
kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-server -n argocd --timeout=120s

Access the UI

# Port forward
kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443

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

# Login: https://localhost:8080
# Username: admin
# Password: (from above command)

Install ArgoCD CLI

# macOS
brew install argocd

# Linux
curl -sSL -o argocd https://github.com/argoproj/argo-cd/releases/latest/download/argocd-linux-amd64
chmod +x argocd && sudo mv argocd /usr/local/bin/

Create Your First Application

argocd login localhost:8080 --insecure

argocd app create my-app \
  --repo https://github.com/org/manifests \
  --path k8s \
  --dest-server https://kubernetes.default.svc \
  --dest-namespace default \
  --sync-policy automated

Related Resources

• ArgoCD Cheat Sheet
• Install ArgoCD on K3s
• ArgoCD vs Flux