Kubernetes Agent with ArgoCD

This guide walks you through installing the Infrastructure Agent (Infra Agent) in Kubernetes environment using ArgoCD. ArgoCD provides a GitOps approach to deploying and managing the Middleware agent with declarative configuration and automated synchronization.

Prerequisites

kubectl get pods -n argocd

kubectl version --client

argocd version

Installation Methods

Method 1: ArgoCD UI Configuration

This method uses the ArgoCD web interface to create and manage your Middleware agent deployment

Step 1: Generate Values Configuration

First, generate the Helm values configuration for your Middleware agent.

MW_API_KEY="<MW_API_KEY>" MW_TARGET=https://<MW_UID>.middleware.io:443 bash -c "$(curl -L https://install.middleware.io/scripts/generate-helm-values.sh)"

Example generated_values.yaml configuration:

global:
  mw:
    apiKey: <MW_API_KEY>
    target: https://<MW_UID>.middleware.io:443
  clusterMetadata:
    name: your-cluster-name # Override
mw-autoinstrumentation:
  enabled: false

Step 2: Create ArgoCD Application via UI

1. Access your ArgoCD UI (typically available at https://your-argocd-server)
2. Click "New App" to create a new application
3. Fill in the following configuration:

General Settings:

• Application name: mw-agent (or your preferred name)
• Project name: default (or your target project)
• Sync Policy: Manual (recommended for initial setup)

Source Settings:

• Repository URL: https://helm.middleware.io
• Chart: mw-kube-agent-v3
• Change the dropdown from "GIT" to "HELM"
• Version: Latest stable version (avoid older versions)

Destination Settings:

• Cluster URL: https://kubernetes.default.svc (for same cluster as ArgoCD)
• Namespace: mw-agent-ns

Step 3: Configure Helm Values

1. In the "Parameters" section, change the category from "Directory" to "Helm"
2. Paste your generated_values.yaml configuration into the "VALUES" field (not "VALUES FILES")

Step 4: Add Ignore Differences

Click "Edit as YAML" and add the following ignoreDifferences section to prevent sync issues with ConfigMaps:

ignoreDifferences:
  - group: ""
    kind: ConfigMap
    name: mw-deployment-otel-config
    namespace: mw-agent-ns
    jsonPointers:
      - /data
  - group: ""
    kind: ConfigMap
    name: mw-daemonset-otel-config

Step 5: Deploy and Sync

1. Click "CREATE" to create the application
2. Click "SYNC" to deploy the Middleware agent
3. Select "Synchronize" to apply all resources

Method 2: Declarative Configuration

Generate the Helm values file for the MW Agent as outlined above, then commit and push it to your Git repository.

After that, create an ArgoCD Application that points to this values file

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: mw-agent
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: https://helm.middleware.io
    targetRevision: 1.2.0

Apply the configuration:

kubectl apply -f middleware-argocd-app.yaml

Verification

Option 1: Check ArgoCD Application Status

Verify the application is healthy in ArgoCD UI or via CLI:

argocd app get mw-agent

Option 2: Verify Kubernetes Resources

Check that the Middleware agent pods are running:

kubectl get pods -n mw-agent-ns

Option 3: Validate Middleware Dashboard

Navigate to your Middleware dashboard and confirm that metrics are appearing. It may take a few minutes for data to start flowing.

Upgrade

Via ArgoCD UI

1. Navigate to your Middleware application in ArgoCD UI
2. Click on the application name
3. Click "APP DETAILS" and then "EDIT"
4. Update the target revision to the desired version
5. Click "SAVE" and then "SYNC"

Via Declarative Configuration

Update the targetRevision in your Application manifest and apply:

kubectl apply -f middleware-argocd-app.yaml

Common Issues

Application Not Syncing:

• Check ArgoCD has proper permissions to access the target namespace
• Verify the Helm chart repository is accessible
• Review ArgoCD application events for specific error messages

Pods Not Starting:

• Check resource quotas in the target namespace
• Review pod logs: kubectl logs -n mw-agent-ns -l app=mw-kube-agent

No Metrics in Dashboard:

• Confirm Kubernetes cluster has internet access
• Verify API key and target are correct
• Check agent logs for connection errors
• Ensure only one MW Agent is running per node

ArgoCD-Specific Issues

Continuous Out-of-Sync Status: Ensure ignoreDifferences is properly configured for ConfigMaps that are dynamically updated by the agent.

Permission Denied: Verify ArgoCD has proper RBAC permissions to create resources in the mw-agent-ns namespace.

Uninstall

Via ArgoCD UI

1. Navigate to the Middleware application in ArgoCD UI
2. Click "DELETE"
3. Confirm deletion by typing the application name

Via ArgoCD CLI

argocd app delete mw-agent

Via kubectl (if using declarative configuration)

kubectl delete application mw-agent -n argocd