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What Is Argo CD?
Argo CD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery (CD) tool for Kubernetes. It is an open source solution that has achieved Graduated status in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). It offers a UI, CLIs, and APIs, making it accessible for both developers and administrators to manage and deploy applications.
Argo CD automates the deployment and management of applications, ensuring they match the desired state defined in a Git repository. This improves version control, auditability, and reliability by enabling teams to use Git as the single source of truth for Kubernetes resource configurations.
With support for various configuration management tools, Argo CD integrates deployment workflows. Argo CD also enables synchronization capability. It continuously monitors running applications and compares them against the manifests stored in Git. Upon detecting discrepancies, Argo CD enables automatic or manual reconciliation, ensuring system alignment with repository states.
Limitations of Argo CD
Argo CD has some limitations to be aware of, as reported by users on the G2 platform:
- Helm debugging restrictions: Argo CD does not allow the use of Helm for debugging, which can limit troubleshooting flexibility.
- Slow application sync: Synchronizing applications may take a significant amount of time, and Argo CD errors can sometimes be unclear.
- Resource intensive: The tool uses substantial system resources, especially when managing a large number of applications or clusters. This may require careful provisioning and running Argo CD on a virtual machine (VM).
- Complex learning curve: Understanding and configuring Argo CD can take time and effort, as the tool’s concepts and features are not always intuitive for new users.
- Limited non-Kubernetes integration: Argo CD is primarily for Kubernetes environments, making it difficult to integrate with non-Kubernetes platforms.
Related content: Read our guide to ArgoCD architecture
Notable Argo CD Alternatives
1. Codefresh
Codefresh is a modern Kubernetes and GitOps solution powered by Argo, bringing the best open-source tools to a reliable enterprise-grade DevOps toolchain. Codefresh provides a secure and thoroughly validated runtime allowing you to fully tap the power of Argo Workflows, Events, CD, and Rollouts. The best practices of GitOps are built into Codefresh while still giving teams the flexibility and control they need.
Codefresh provides unrivaled visibility from code-to-cloud into your entire continuous integration and continuous delivery workflows. It offers a streamlined, automated approach to advanced deployments like canary, blue-green, and experimental releases. Codefresh has a unified user interface for all of your builds and deployments as well as a centralized management control plane for your Codefresh Argo runtimes. It integrates with your best-of-breed tools to give you the best possible software delivery process.
Here are some of the key features Codefresh offers:
- Enterprise-grade Argo runtime with all Argo Project components
- Optional hosted runtime for Argo CD
- Centralized management control plane for all Argo runtimes
- Customized Argo Workflows and Events for CI and CD
- Integrated dashboard for Dora metrics
- Unified Argo user interface with end-to-end traceability
- Comprehensive dashboards for tracking releases and deployments
- Insights into images, build artifacts, and their environment usage
- Detailed performance breakdown of resource usage during workflows
- Codefresh Hub for Argo Workflows for reusable Workflows templates
- Native integration with popular secret management tools
- Cross-application single sign on with centralized management
- Integration with issue management like Jira
- Integration with other CI systems such as Jenkins, Github actions etc.
- GitOps Argo Autopilot runtime installer
- Additional security validation and intercompatibility testing for Argo components
- Award-winning support and professional services
2. Octopus Deploy
Octopus Deploy is a continuous deployment platform to simplify the process of deploying software across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments. It helps teams automate deployment workflows, ensuring consistency throughout the release pipeline.
License: Commercial
Key features of Octopus Deploy:
- Multi-environment deployments: Deploys software to cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments with a consistent process across all environments.
- Rollback capabilities: Reverts to previous versions if needed, minimizing risks and ensuring safer deployments.
- Runbook automation: Automates routine and emergency operational tasks, freeing teams to focus on more critical work.
- Container deployment support: Deploys to container services like Kubernetes via a simple interface, supporting YAML and Helm Charts.
- Multi-tenancy support: Deploys to multiple customers or locations simultaneously without duplicating deployment processes, saving time and effort.
Source: Octopus
3. Flux
Flux is an open-source GitOps tool to automate the deployment of applications and infrastructure in Kubernetes environments. It operates by syncing the desired state of a system, as defined in a Git repository, with the actual state running in Kubernetes. It is part of the CNCF Graduated project.
Important note: WeaveWorks, the developer and main corporate sponsor of Flux, shut down in February, 2024, raising questions about the future of the project. GitLab announced its continued support for the project.
License: Apache-2.0
Repo: https://github.com/fluxcd/flux2
GitHub stars: 6K+
Contributors: 150+
Key features of Flux:
- GitOps for apps and infrastructure: Supports deploying applications with canary releases, feature flags, and A/B testing, while also managing infrastructure dependencies.
- Declarative and automated: Enforces system conformance by automatically syncing configurations defined in Git without needing manual commands like kubectl.
- Auditable: All changes are tracked through Git pull requests, allowing a clear history of changes and the ability to recover from any snapshot.
- Push to Git: Automatically handles deployment and container image updates, pushing these changes back to Git if necessary.
- Works with existing tools: Integrates with major Git providers, container registries, CI workflows, and other Kubernetes-related tools.
Source: Flux
4. Jenkins X
Jenkins X is an open-source tool to automate and accelerate continuous integration and continuous delivery for cloud-native applications. It simplifies the process of deploying software to Kubernetes, allowing developers to focus more on building applications rather than managing infrastructure.
License: Apache-2.0
Repo: https://github.com/jenkins-x/jx-docs
Contributors: 250+
Key features of Jenkins X:
- Cloud-native infrastructure: Leverages Kubernetes to host core services and integrates cloud storage, container registries, and secret management solutions like Vault and cloud-based providers.
- GitOps for cluster management: Uses Git to manage cluster configurations, Helmfile for package management, and automatic polling for updates to ensure all changes are auditable and version-controlled.
- Integrated pipelines: Ships with Tekton to provide clean, declarative pipelines, and supports Lighthouse for automating pipeline interactions via Git comments (ChatOps).
- Secret management: Works with External Secrets and cloud-hosted secret managers to securely handle sensitive data, avoiding direct storage in Git.
- Flexible orchestration: Supports Tekton for cloud-native pipelines and traditional Jenkins for users with legacy workloads.
Source: Jenkins X
5. GitLab
GitLab is an integrated platform that automates the process of building, testing, and deploying software, enabling faster, more reliable releases. As part of GitLab’s DevOps solution, it provides a workflow from code commit to production.
License: Commercial
Key features of GitLab:
- End-to-end automation: Automates the entire software lifecycle from code commit to production, reducing manual tasks and accelerating delivery.
- Accelerated releases: Enables faster, high-quality releases with minimal manual intervention.
- Pipeline visibility: Provides a single source of truth for tracking the CI/CD pipeline, offering transparency to stakeholders.
- Scalability: Supports pipelines that scale from simple projects to complex, enterprise-level deployments with predictable outcomes.
- Security integration: Built-in security scans ensure vulnerabilities are identified and addressed early in the pipeline.
Source: GitLab
6. Spinnaker
Spinnaker is an open-source, multi-cloud CD platform that helps teams deploy software changes at high velocity. It provides a solution for application management and deployment, enabling organizations to manage cloud resources and automate deployment workflows.
License: Apache-2.0
Repo: https://github.com/spinnaker/spinnaker
GitHub stars: 9K+
Contributors: 100+
Key features of Spinnaker:
- Application management: Provides visibility and control over cloud resources like applications, clusters, server groups, load balancers, and firewalls.
- Cluster and server group management: Organizes services into clusters and server groups for easier resource management, handling configurations for VM images, Docker images, autoscaling policies, and metadata.
- Pipeline-based deployment: Uses pipelines to define continuous delivery workflows, where each pipeline consists of stages that automate actions like deployment, resizing, and manual approvals.
- Flexible deployment strategies: Supports deployment strategies such as blue/green and rolling blue/green, with active development of canary strategies.
- Managed delivery: Allows teams to declare the desired state of their applications and infrastructure in a declarative format.
Source: Spinnaker
7. Harness CD
Harness CD is a continuous delivery solution that enables engineers to deploy software to production using a visual pipeline builder or custom scripts. Part of the Harness software delivery platform, it integrates with popular secret management, deployment verification, and ticketing tools to automate and simplify deployments.
License: Apache-2.0
Repo: https://github.com/harness/harness
GitHub stars: 32K+
Contributors: 40+
Key features of Harness CD:
- Visual pipeline builder: Offers a UI to design and automate deployment pipelines, with the flexibility to include custom scripts for additional control.
- Extensive tool integrations: Supports tools like HashiCorp Vault and AWS KMS for secret management, and New Relic, Prometheus, and Splunk for deployment verification, as well as Jira and ServiceNow for ticketing.
- GitOps capabilities: Supports bidirectional sync with Git repositories, conflict resolution, and visual diffs, alongside pipeline triggers based on Git events like commits and new artifact versions.
- Multi-cloud and hybrid support: Deploys to a range of environments, including Kubernetes, Helm, ECS, Serverless, and traditional web server stacks like WebLogic and WebSphere.
- AI/ML-powered intelligence: Leverages machine learning to provide insights and automate decision-making within the deployment process.
Source: Harness
8. HashiCorp Waypoint
HashiCorp Waypoint is a deployment platform to simplify application and infrastructure management. It provides a unified workflow for building, deploying, and managing applications, using templates and automation to simplify processes.
License: BSL
Repo: https://github.com/hashicorp/waypoint
GitHub stars: 4K+
Contributors: 150+
Key features of HashiCorp Waypoint:
- Standardized templates: Platform engineers create shared templates for deploying both applications and their infrastructure. These templates integrate with HCP Terraform, allowing for consistent, repeatable deployments.
- Self-service deployments: Allows application developers to deploy applications independently, using the predefined templates created by platform engineers.
- Golden workflows: Platform teams can define “golden” workflows for key tasks like building, deploying, and rolling back applications.
- Day 2 operations support: Simplifies ongoing maintenance with configurable actions that integrate with CI/CD pipelines and other upstream systems.
- Centralized application catalog: Provides a centralized catalog of all applications and their associated metadata. This makes it easy for platform and operations teams to track application deployments, configurations, and dependencies.
Source: HashiCorp
9. Kluctl
Kluctl is a deployment tool for managing complex Kubernetes environments. It simplifies the deployment process by combining multiple tools like Helm and Kustomize, while providing templating and configuration options.
License: Apache-2.0
Repo: https://github.com/kluctl/kluctl
GitHub stars: 500+
Contributors: 20
Key features of Kluctl:
- Multi-environment deployments: Allows deploying to multiple environments or clusters, such as development, testing, and production, using environment-specific configurations.
- Templating support: Dynamic configurations are handled through a templating engine.
- Helm and Kustomize integrations: Integrates with Helm and Kustomize, enabling the reuse of third-party charts and Kustomizations.
- Diffs and dry-runs: Provides diff and dry-run capabilities, allowing teams to preview the effects of a deployment before applying changes.
- GitOps workflow support: Supports GitOps workflows, enabling teams to manage deployments through Git as the source of truth. Also allows fallback to a push-based workflow when needed.
Source: Kluctl
Conclusion
While Argo CD is a popular GitOps tool for Kubernetes, various alternatives exist that address different use cases and limitations. Depending on the organization’s needs, such as multi-cloud support, integration with non-Kubernetes platforms, or simplified pipelines, other continuous delivery tools may provide more tailored solutions. Each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to evaluate them based on the organization’s requirements, infrastructure, and team expertise.
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