Deploy a Remote Helm Chart with a Modified Values File from a Git Repository using Argo CD

deploy-app-multi-sources-argocd.md

Deploy a Remote Helm Chart with a Modified Values File from a Git Repository using Argo CD

This page describes how to deploy a Helm chart from the remote Helm repository with modified or updated values.yaml file from the GitOps repository (GitLab or GitHub repository) using Argo CD.

Use Case

• You want to deploy a Helm chart from the remote Helm repository.
• And you also want to overwrite the values with only the modified or updated values.yaml file from your GitOps repository.

Argo CD: Multiple Sources Feature

Before Argo CD v2.6, the Helm chart and values files must be in the same GitOps repository.

In Argo CD v2.6, Multiple Sources was introduced as a beta feature that allows users to deploy an application using resources from various repositories, such as a Helm chart from a remote Helm repository and its values.yaml file from a Git repository.

Configuration

Configure an Argo CD application using multiple sources.

For Example, this Argo CD Applicaion configuration deploys the Grafana Helm chart from the remote repository (https://grafana.github.io/helm-charts) and its modified values.yaml from your GitOps repository to overwrite the values.

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: grafana
spec:
  destination:
    namespace: infra
    server: {{ .Values.spec.destination.server }}
  sources:
    # Grafana Helm Repository
    # This installs Grafana with the modified values.yaml file.
    - repoURL: "https://grafana.github.io/helm-charts"
      chart: grafana
      targetRevision: 10.1.0
      helm:
        valueFiles:
        - $k8s-gitops/helm/grafana/values.yaml
    # GitOps Source Repository that locates updated and modified local values.yaml file.
    - repoURL: https://github.com/thezawzaw/k8s-gitops-example.git
      targetRevision: infra
      ref: k8s-gitops
  project: default
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true

How it Works

Define your GitOps repository URL, target revision, and ref name using sources. Make sure you define "ref" as a variable name. In this example, ref name is k8s-gitops.

  sources:
    ...
    # GitOps Source Repository that locates updated and modified values.yaml file.
    - repoURL: https://github.com/thezawzaw/k8s-gitops-example.git
      targetRevision: infra
      ref: k8s-gitops

Then, set the values.yaml file path from your GitOps repository by calling the ref name you defined.

  sources:
    # Grafana Helm Repository
    # This installs Grafana with the modified values.yaml file.
    - repoURL: "https://grafana.github.io/helm-charts"
      chart: grafana
      targetRevision: 10.1.0
      helm:
        valueFiles:
        - $k8s-gitops/helm/grafana/values.yaml

Then, Argo CD will deploy the Grafana Helm chart with the modified values.yaml file from your Git repository.