This document discusses using ArgoCD and Helm together to provide a unified process for infrastructure changes and application deployments. It introduces ArgoCD for continuous delivery using GitOps and Helm as a package manager. Abstract Helm charts are proposed to reduce the learning curve and standardize infrastructure components. The unified process leverages ArgoCD and Helm with CI/CD to provide a trusted, versioned process for all changes. Knowledge sharing initiatives like training and pairing are recommended to support developers in using these tools.

1. INFRASTRUCTURE
CHANGES & DEPLOYMENTS
IN ONE FLOW
September 2020
With ArgoCD & Helm

2. ABOUT ME
• Software developer for 10+ years in various teams
• 6 years at Riskified
• 2 years as a cloud platform developer
• Design of the developers experience
• Leads the DevOps Culture
• Argo community member

3. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

4. DEPLOYMENT VS INFRASTRUCTURE
DEPLOY INFRASTRUCTURE
Owner Developers Operations
DEPLOY INFRASTRUCTURE
Owner Developers Operations
Process GitOps ClickOps, ScriptOps
Versions Supported -
Rollback Supported ?
DEPLOY INFRASTRUCTURE
Owner Developers Operations
Process GitOps ClickOps, ScriptOps
Versions Supported -
Rollback Supported ?
Trusted process Untrusted process

5. FROM
UNTRUSTED
TO TRUSTED
PROCESS
Better Process
● Understand the changes
● Monitor
● Versioned
● Rollback
Knowledge
● Reduce the learning curve
● Provide resources for advance learning
● A sharing process (training, paring)

6. Approved
Customer
places an order
Payment
gateway
authorization
Riskified’s
fraud review
Capture funds
& fulfill order
Chargeback
Declined
Riskified develops powerful machine-learning algorithms
that recognize legitimate customers

7. Recover Auth Rate
Optimization
Bank
Relationships
DecoAccount
Protection
Chargeback
Guarantee
Representment
Fraud ReviewCheckout Authorization Capture/DeclineLogin
END-TO-END SOLUTION

8. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

9. ARGOCD
• GitOps continuous
delivery tool
• CNCF Incubating
Project
• Controller / git watcher
• Supports multiple
templating tools
User-declared
desired state
K8s clusterArgoCD
Git repo
$ helm
template
Templated
yamls Compare
$ kubectl
apply
Observe

10. DEMO

12. ARGOCD IN DEPTH
Application CRD
Application metadata
01 02 Project CRD
Group applications
ArgoCD instances
One / Multiple
03 04 App of Apps
Design Pattern

13. 01
APPLICATION
CRD

14. 02
PROJECT CRD
• Group applications
• RBAC
• One per namesapce
Application
Project = Namespace

15. 02
PROJECT CRD
• Group applications
• RBAC
• One per namesapce
Application
Project = Namespace

16. 03
ARGOCD
INSTANCES
Resource overhead
Isolations - different
environments
One Per Cluster
Different application per cluster
Easier permissions management
One For All / One Per Environment

17. 04
App of Apps
• Declarative application
and projects
• GitOps to the whole
cluster
• One health status for
the whole cluster

18. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

19. LEARNING CURVE - THE PROBLEM

20. LEARNING
CURVE -
THE PROBLEM
Deployment
● Liveness
● Readiness
● Strategy
● Node affinity
Service
Service account
Secret
Volume
PDB
HPA
VPA
Ingress
...

21. Helm is a package manager
● Template yaml
● Manage applications
CNCF graduated project
helm.sh
HELM

22. HELM CHART
Template YAMLs
Values files

23. HELM
ABSTRACT
CHART
Internal helm charts
● Template the common use case
● Reduce the learning curve
● Clear extension point
● Platform API

24. HELM ABSTRACT CHART

25. HELM ABSTRACT CHART
Mandatory value

26. HELM ABSTRACT CHART
Mandatory value
Default value

27. HELM ABSTRACT CHART - USE CASE
chart.yaml

28. HELM ABSTRACT CHART - USE CASE
chart.yaml
Require our chart

29. HELM ABSTRACT CHART - USE CASE
values.yamlchart.yaml

30. HELM ABSTRACT CHART - USE CASE
values.yaml Extensiblechart.yaml

31. A MORE
COMPLICATED
EXAMPLE
Vault is a secrete manger
● Environment variables
● Files
● In-cluster service with admission
webhook
HashiCorp
vaultproject.io

32. VAULT - A MORE COMPLICATED EXAMPLE

33. VAULT - A MORE COMPLICATED EXAMPLE

34. For The user - 2 lines
VAULT - A MORE COMPLICATED EXAMPLE
values.yaml

35. • Semantic versioning
• Change Log
1 . 2 . 3
● One every quarter
● Change Instructions
ABSTRACT
CHARTS IS THE
PLATFORM API
Major
incompatible API changes
Minor
New features
Patch
Bug fix

36. • Semantic versioning
• Change Log
01 New objects should be added only when absolutely
necessary by more than one consumer
02 Variable name should be in camelCase
ABSTRACT
CHARTS IS THE
PLATFORM API
• Guidelines

37. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

38. One application for all the application
APP OF APPS

39. One application for all the application
APPS OF APPS

40. GLOBAL
PARAMETERS
• Template cluster /
environment
parameters
• Examples: cluster
name, security groups
application.yaml
values-staging.yamlIn the abstract Helm chart

41. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

42. THE UNIFIED PROCESS
CI
Merge code
to main
CI
Trigger Build & Publish
Force Sync02
Pull
View Diff &
Sync
02
Apply
Unified
Process
03
Update the
tag value
Infrastructure
Change
Merge code
to main
01
01

43. AGENDA
Deployment vs Infrastructure
ArgoCD - Change process
Helm - Learning curve
ArgoCD & Helm
The unified process
Knowledge sharing

44. Knowledge
sharing process
Workshop
Create and deploy a new
service
101 Sessions
First training for all teams
Communication
New features and releases,
and how developers can use
them
Paring
1X1 time. Answer questions,
help make the application
cloud native
Slack
Create community with
dedicated channels

45. DEPLOYMENT VS INFRASTRUCTURE
DEPLOY INFRASTRUCTURE
Owner Developers Developers
Process GitOps GitOps
Versions Supported Supported
Rollback Supported Supported
Trusted process Trusted process

46. Thank you
for your time!
Omer Kahani
Twitter: @OmerKahani
Email: omer@riskified.com
DevOps World (September 23)
https://tinyurl.com/yxl2xwpx
Find out more
https://medium.com/@kahaniomer
https://medium.com/riskified-technology