From 05fc9e76d02c6e527d2a9ba4cde58f82df9fe2c5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Paul Buetow Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:43:02 +0200 Subject: Update content for html --- .../DRAFT-f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X.html | 1212 +++++++++----------- 1 file changed, 530 insertions(+), 682 deletions(-) (limited to 'gemfeed') diff --git a/gemfeed/DRAFT-f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X.html b/gemfeed/DRAFT-f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X.html index 5d58d4c5..2ce86ad7 100644 --- a/gemfeed/DRAFT-f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X.html +++ b/gemfeed/DRAFT-f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X.html @@ -42,49 +42,32 @@
  • ⇢ ⇢ Accessing ArgoCD
  • ⇢ ArgoCD Application Structure
  • ⇢ Repository Organization
    • -
  • ⇢ Migration Strategy: Incremental, One App at a Time
  • ⇢ ⇢ Migration Phases
  • ⇢ Example Migration: Miniflux
  • ⇢ ⇢ Before: Imperative Helm deployment
  • ⇢ ⇢ After: Declarative GitOps with ArgoCD
  • ⇢ ⇢ Migration procedure
    • -
  • ⇢ Complex Migration: Prometheus with Multi-Source
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Sync Waves and Hooks
    • -
  • ⇢ Migration Results
    • -
  • ⇢ Benefits Realized
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 1. Single Source of Truth
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 2. Automatic Synchronization
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 3. Drift Detection and Self-Healing
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 4. Easy Rollbacks
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 5. Disaster Recovery
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 6. Documentation by Default
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 7. Safe Experimentation
    • -
  • ⇢ Challenges and Solutions
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 1: Helm Release Adoption
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 2: Persistent Volumes Not Tracked by Helm
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 3: Secrets Management
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 4: Grafana Not Reloading Datasources
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 5: Prometheus With Multiple Sources
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ Challenge 6: Sync Ordering for Prometheus
    • -
  • ⇢ Justfile Evolution
    • -
  • ⇢ Lessons Learned
    • -
  • ⇢ Future Improvements
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 1. External Secrets Operator
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 2. ApplicationSet for Similar Apps
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 3. App-of-Apps Pattern
    • -
  • ⇢ ⇢ 4. ArgoCD Image Updater
    • -
  • ⇢ Summary
    • +
  • ArgoCD detects change within 3 minutes and syncs automatically
    • +
  • ArgoCD detects drift within 3 minutes
    • +
  • ArgoCD automatically rolls back to the previous state
    • +
  • Temporarily point ArgoCD at the feature branch
    • +
  • Verify changes in ArgoCD Web UI
    • +
  • If good: merge to master
    • +
  • If bad: revert the patch
    • +
  • root-monitoring.yaml
    • +
  • Root app deploys all 21 applications automatically
    • +
  • Or apply by namespace

    • Introduction



    In the previous posts, I deployed applications to the k3s cluster using Helm charts and Justfiles—running just install or just upgrade to imperatively push changes to the cluster. While this approach works, it has several drawbacks:


    This blog post covers the migration from imperative Helm deployments to declarative GitOps using ArgoCD. After this migration, the Git repository becomes the single source of truth, and ArgoCD automatically ensures the cluster matches what's defined in Git.

    @@ -95,18 +78,19 @@ Key principles:


    For Kubernetes, this means:

    -1. All manifests, Helm charts, and configuration live in a Git repository
    -2. A tool (ArgoCD in our case) watches the repository
    -3. When changes are pushed to Git, ArgoCD automatically applies them to the cluster
    -4. If someone manually changes resources in the cluster, ArgoCD detects the drift and can automatically revert it
    -
    +

    What is ArgoCD?



    ArgoCD is a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. It's implemented as a Kubernetes controller that continuously monitors running applications and compares the current, live state against the desired target state defined in Git.
    @@ -116,32 +100,34 @@ Key features:


    Why ArgoCD for f3s?



    For a home lab cluster, ArgoCD provides several benefits:

    -**Disaster recovery**: If the entire cluster is lost, I can rebuild it by:
    -1. Bootstrapping a new k3s cluster
    -2. Installing ArgoCD
    -3. Pointing ArgoCD at the Git repository
    -4. All applications automatically deploy to the desired state
    +Disaster recovery: If the entire cluster is lost, I can rebuild it by:

    -**Experimentation safety**: I can test changes in a separate Git branch without affecting the running cluster. Once validated, merge to master and ArgoCD applies the changes.
    -
    -**Drift detection**: If I manually change something in the cluster (for debugging), ArgoCD shows the difference and can automatically revert it.
    +
    +Experimentation safety: I can test changes in a separate Git branch without affecting the running cluster. Once validated, merge to master and ArgoCD applies the changes.
    +
    +Drift detection: If I manually change something in the cluster (for debugging), ArgoCD shows the difference and can automatically revert it.

    -**Declarative configuration**: The Git repository documents the entire cluster configuration. No need to remember which just commands to run or in which order.
    +Declarative configuration: The Git repository documents the entire cluster configuration. No need to remember which just commands to run or in which order.

    -**Automatic sync**: Push to Git, and changes deploy automatically. No need to SSH to a workstation and run Helm commands.
    +Automatic sync: Push to Git, and changes deploy automatically. No need to SSH to a workstation and run Helm commands.

    Deploying ArgoCD



    @@ -187,7 +173,7 @@ STATUS: deployed
    The values.yaml file configures several important aspects:

    -**Persistent storage for the repo-server**: ArgoCD clones Git repositories to cache them locally. I configured a persistent volume so the cache survives pod restarts:
    +Persistent storage for the repo-server: ArgoCD clones Git repositories to cache them locally. I configured a persistent volume so the cache survives pod restarts:

     repoServer:
@@ -200,7 +186,7 @@ repoServer:
       mountPath: /tmp

    -**Admin password preservation**: By default, the admin password is auto-generated and stored in a secret. To ensure it persists across Helm upgrades:
    +Admin password preservation: By default, the admin password is auto-generated and stored in a secret. To ensure it persists across Helm upgrades:

     configs:
@@ -222,7 +208,7 @@ $ kubectl create secret generic argocd-secret \
 $ echo "ArgoCD admin password: $ARGOCD_ADMIN_PASSWORD"

    -**Server configuration**: Enabled insecure mode since TLS is handled by the OpenBSD edge relays:
    +Server configuration: Enabled insecure mode since TLS is handled by the OpenBSD edge relays:

     server:
@@ -261,7 +247,7 @@ metadata:
     traefik.ingress.kubernetes.io/router.entrypoints: web
 spec:
   rules:
-    - host: argocd.f3s.buetow.org
+    - host: argocd.f3s.foo.zone
       http:
         paths:
           - path: /
@@ -275,15 +261,13 @@ spec:
 
    
 Following the same pattern as other services, the OpenBSD edge relays terminate TLS and forward traffic through WireGuard to the cluster. ArgoCD is now accessible at:
    
 
    
-ArgoCD Web UI
    
-
    
 The ArgoCD CLI can also be used for operations:
    
 
    
 
-
    $ argocd login argocd.f3s.buetow.org
+
    $ argocd login argocd.f3s.foo.zone
 $ argocd app list
 
    
 
    
@@ -292,15 +276,13 @@ $ argocd app list
 ArgoCD uses a CRD called Application to define what should be deployed. Each application specifies:
    
 
    
 
      
-
    • **Source**: Where the manifests live (Git repo, Helm chart repository, or both)
      • 
-
    • **Destination**: Which cluster and namespace to deploy to
      • 
-
    • **Sync policy**: Whether to automatically sync changes
      • 
+
    • Source: Where the manifests live (Git repo, Helm chart repository, or both)
      • 
+
    • Destination: Which cluster and namespace to deploy to
      • 
 

    
 Here's a simple example for the miniflux application:
    
 
    
 
    -apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
-kind: Application
+ind: Application
 metadata:
   name: miniflux
   namespace: cicd
@@ -310,9 +292,11 @@ spec:
   project: default
   source:
     repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
+    
     targetRevision: master
     path: f3s/miniflux/helm-chart
   destination:
+  
     server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
     namespace: services
   syncPolicy:
@@ -389,57 +373,44 @@ spec:
 
    
 The application directories (miniflux, prometheus, etc.) remained mostly unchanged—ArgoCD references the same Helm charts. The main additions:
    
 
    
-1. **argocd-apps/**: Application manifests organized by Kubernetes namespace for better clarity
    
-   - monitoring/: 6 observability applications
    
-   - services/: 13 user-facing applications
    
-   - infra/: 1 infrastructure application (registry)
    
-   - test/: 1 test application
    
-2. ***/manifests/**: Additional Kubernetes manifests for complex apps (like Prometheus)
    
-3. **Justfiles updated**: Changed from helm install/upgrade to argocd app sync
    
-
    
-This organization makes it easy to apply all applications in a specific namespace or manage them independently.
    
-
    
-
    Migration Strategy: Incremental, One App at a Time

    
+1. argocd-apps/: Application manifests organized by Kubernetes namespace for better clarity
    
 
    
-Rather than attempting a "big bang" migration of all 21 applications at once, I migrated them incrementally:
    
-
    
-1. **Start with a simple app**: Validate the pattern with a low-risk application
    
-2. **Migrate in waves**: Group similar applications and migrate together
    
-3. **Validate thoroughly**: Ensure each app is healthy before moving to the next
    
-4. **Learn and iterate**: Apply lessons from earlier migrations to later ones
    
+
      
+
    • monitoring/: 6 observability applications
      • 
+
    • services/: 13 user-facing applications
      • 
+
    • infra/: 1 infrastructure application (registry)
      • 
+
    • test/: 1 test application
      • 
+

    
+2. */manifests/: Additional Kubernetes manifests for complex apps (like Prometheus)
    
+3. Justfiles updated: Changed from helm install/upgrade to argocd app sync
    
 
    
-This approach reduced risk and allowed me to refine the migration process.
    
+This organization makes it easy to apply all applications in a specific namespace or manage them independently.
    
 
    
 
    Migration Phases

    
 
    
-**Phase 1: Simple services** (13 apps)
    
+These apps have straightforward Helm charts with no complex dependencies. Pattern established:
    
+
    
 
      
-
    • miniflux, freshrss, wallabag
      • 
-
    • anki-sync-server, kobo-sync-server, opodsync
      • 
-
    • radicale, syncthing, audiobookshelf
      • 
-
    • filebrowser, keybr, webdav
      • 
-
    • example-apache, example-apache-volume-claim
      • 
+
    • 1. Create Application manifest in argocd-apps/
      • 
+
    • 2. Apply with kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/<app>.yaml
      • 
+
    • 3. Verify sync status: argocd app get <app>
      • 
+
    • 4. Update Justfile to use ArgoCD commands
      • 
 

    
-These apps have straightforward Helm charts with no complex dependencies. Pattern established:
    
-1. Create Application manifest in argocd-apps/
    
-2. Apply with kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/<app>.yaml
    
-3. Verify sync status: argocd app get <app>
    
-4. Update Justfile to use ArgoCD commands
    
+Phase 2: Infrastructure apps (3 apps)
    
 
    
-**Phase 2: Infrastructure apps** (3 apps)
    
 
      
 
    • registry (Docker image registry)
      • 
 
    • pushgateway (Prometheus metrics ingestion)
      • 
 
    • immich (photo management with complex dependencies)
      • 
 

    
-**Phase 3: Monitoring stack** (4 apps)
    
+Phase 3: Monitoring stack (4 apps)
    
 
      
 
    • tempo (distributed tracing)
      • 
 
    • loki (log aggregation)
      • 
 
    • alloy (log collection)
      • 
 
    • prometheus (metrics and monitoring)
      • 
 

    
-**Phase 4: Monitoring addons** (1 app)
    
+Phase 4: Monitoring addons (1 app)
    
 
      
 
    • grafana-ingress (separate ingress for Grafana)
      • 
 

    
@@ -553,7 +524,7 @@ logs:
 
    
 
    Migration procedure

    
 
    
-1. **Backup current state**:
    
+1. Backup current state:
    
 
 $ kubectl get all,ingress -n services -o yaml > /tmp/miniflux-backup.yaml
 
    
 
    
-2. **Create Application manifest**:
    
+2. Create Application manifest:
    
 
 application.argoproj.io/miniflux created
 
    
 
    
-3. **Verify ArgoCD adopted the resources**:
    
+3. Verify ArgoCD adopted the resources:
    
 
 
    $ kubectl get pods -n services -l app=miniflux -w
 NAME                                READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
 miniflux-postgres-556444cb8d-xvv2p  1/1     Running   0          54d
-miniflux-server-85d7c64664-stmt9    1/1     Running   0          54d
-
    
-
    
-5. **Test the application**:
    
-
-
    $ curl -I https://flux.f3s.buetow.org
-HTTP/2 200
+``
+
+5. Test the application:
 
    
-
    
-6. **Update Justfile** and commit changes
    
-
    
-Total time: 10 minutes. Zero downtime.
    
-
    
-
    Complex Migration: Prometheus with Multi-Source

    
-
    
-The Prometheus migration was more complex because it combines:
    
-
    
-ArgoCD supports "multi-source" Applications that combine multiple sources:
    
-
    
+$ curl -I https://flux.f3s.foo.zone
    
+HTTP/2 200
    
 
    -apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
-kind: Application
-metadata:
-  name: prometheus
-  namespace: cicd
-  finalizers:
-    - resources-finalizer.argocd.argoproj.io
-spec:
-  project: default
-  sources:
-    # Source 1: Upstream Helm chart from prometheus-community
-    - repoURL: https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
-      chart: kube-prometheus-stack
-      targetRevision: 55.5.0
-      helm:
-        releaseName: prometheus
-        valuesObject:
-          # Full Prometheus configuration embedded here
-          kubeEtcd:
-            enabled: true
-            endpoints:
-              - 192.168.2.120
-              - 192.168.2.121
-              - 192.168.2.122
-          # ... (hundreds of lines of configuration)
-
-    # Source 2: Additional manifests from Git repository
-    - repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
-      targetRevision: master
-      path: f3s/prometheus/manifests
+6. Update Justfile and commit changes
 
-  destination:
-    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
-    namespace: monitoring
+Total time: 10 minutes. Zero downtime.
+
+## Complex Migration: Prometheus with Multi-Source
+
+
+The Prometheus migration was more complex because it combines:
+* Upstream Helm chart (kube-prometheus-stack)
+* Custom manifests (PersistentVolumes, recording rules, dashboards)
+* Sync hooks (PostSync job to restart Grafana)
 
-  syncPolicy:
-    automated:
-      prune: false  # Manual pruning for safety on complex stack
-      selfHeal: true
-    syncOptions:
-      - CreateNamespace=false
-      - ServerSideApply=true
-    retry:
-      limit: 3
-      backoff:
-        duration: 10s
-        factor: 2
-        maxDuration: 3m
 
    
-
    
-The prometheus/manifests/ directory contains:
    
-
    
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
    
+kind: Application
    
+metadata:
    
+  name: prometheus
    
+  namespace: cicd
    
+  finalizers:
    
+    - resources-finalizer.argocd.argoproj.io
    
+spec:
    
+  project: default
    
+  sources:
    
+    # Source 1: Upstream Helm chart from prometheus-community
    
+    - repoURL: https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
    
+    
    
+      chart: kube-prometheus-stack
    
+      targetRevision: 55.5.0
    
+      helm:
    
+        releaseName: prometheus
    
+        valuesObject:
    
+          # Full Prometheus configuration embedded here
    
+          kubeEtcd:
    
+            enabled: true
    
+            endpoints:
    
+              - 192.168.2.120
    
+              - 192.168.2.121
    
+              - 192.168.2.122
    
+          # ... (hundreds of lines of configuration)
    
+
    
+    # Source 2: Additional manifests from Git repository
    
+    - repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
    
+      targetRevision: master
    
+      path: f3s/prometheus/manifests
    
+
    
+  destination:
    
+    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    
+    namespace: monitoring
    
+
    
+  syncPolicy:
    
+    automated:
    
+      prune: false  # Manual pruning for safety on complex stack
    
+      selfHeal: true
    
+    syncOptions:
    
+      - CreateNamespace=false
    
+      - ServerSideApply=true
    
+    retry:
    
+      limit: 3
    
+      backoff:
    
+        duration: 10s
    
+        factor: 2
    
+        maxDuration: 3m
    
 
    -f3s/prometheus/manifests/
-├── persistent-volumes.yaml              # Sync wave 0
-├── additional-scrape-configs-secret.yaml # Sync wave 1
-├── grafana-datasources-configmap.yaml   # Sync wave 1
-├── freebsd-recording-rules.yaml         # Sync wave 3
-├── openbsd-recording-rules.yaml         # Sync wave 3
-├── zfs-recording-rules.yaml             # Sync wave 3
-├── epimetheus-dashboard.yaml            # Sync wave 4
-├── zfs-dashboards.yaml                  # Sync wave 4
-├── grafana-restart-hook.yaml            # Sync wave 10 (PostSync)
-└── grafana-restart-rbac.yaml            # Sync wave 0
+The `prometheus/manifests/` directory contains:
+
 
    
-
    
-
    Sync Waves and Hooks

    
-
    
-ArgoCD allows controlling the order of resource deployment using sync waves (the argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave annotation):
    
-
    
-
    
-The Grafana restart hook ensures Grafana reloads datasources after they're updated:
    
-
    
+f3s/prometheus/manifests/
    
+├── persistent-volumes.yaml              # Sync wave 0
    
+├── additional-scrape-configs-secret.yaml # Sync wave 1
    
+├── grafana-datasources-configmap.yaml   # Sync wave 1
    
+├── freebsd-recording-rules.yaml         # Sync wave 3
    
+├── openbsd-recording-rules.yaml         # Sync wave 3
    
+├── zfs-recording-rules.yaml             # Sync wave 3
    
+├── epimetheus-dashboard.yaml            # Sync wave 4
    
+├── zfs-dashboards.yaml                  # Sync wave 4
    
+├── grafana-restart-hook.yaml            # Sync wave 10 (PostSync)
    
+└── grafana-restart-rbac.yaml            # Sync wave 0
    
 
    -apiVersion: batch/v1
-kind: Job
-metadata:
-  name: grafana-restart-hook
-  namespace: monitoring
-  annotations:
-    argocd.argoproj.io/hook: PostSync
-    argocd.argoproj.io/hook-delete-policy: BeforeHookCreation
-    argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "10"
-spec:
-  template:
-    spec:
-      serviceAccountName: grafana-restart-sa
-      restartPolicy: OnFailure
-      containers:
-        - name: kubectl
-          image: bitnami/kubectl:latest
-          command:
-            - /bin/sh
-            - -c
-            - |
-              kubectl wait --for=condition=available --timeout=300s deployment/prometheus-grafana -n monitoring || true
-              kubectl delete pod -n monitoring -l app.kubernetes.io/name=grafana --ignore-not-found=true
-  backoffLimit: 2
-
    
-
    
-This replaces the manual step in the old Justfile that required running kubectl delete pod after every upgrade.
    
-
    
-
    Migration Results

    
-
    
-After migrating all 21 applications to ArgoCD:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ argocd app list
-NAME                      CLUSTER                         NAMESPACE    PROJECT  STATUS  HEALTH   SYNCPOLICY
-alloy                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-anki-sync-server          https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-audiobookshelf            https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-example-apache            https://kubernetes.default.svc  test         default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-example-apache-volume-... https://kubernetes.default.svc  test         default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-filebrowser               https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-freshrss                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-grafana-ingress           https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-immich                    https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-keybr                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-kobo-sync-server          https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-loki                      https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-miniflux                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-opodsync                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-prometheus                https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto
-pushgateway               https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-radicale                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-registry                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  infra        default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-syncthing                 https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-tempo                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-wallabag                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
-webdav                    https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
+### Sync Waves and Hooks
+
+ArgoCD allows controlling the order of resource deployment using sync waves (the `argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave` annotation):
+
+* Wave 0: Infrastructure (PersistentVolumes, RBAC)
+* Wave 1: Configuration (Secrets, ConfigMaps)
+* Wave 3: Recording rules (PrometheusRule CRDs)
+* Wave 4: Dashboards (ConfigMaps with `grafana_dashboard: '1'` label)
+* Wave 10: PostSync hooks (Jobs that run after everything else)
+
+The Grafana restart hook ensures Grafana reloads datasources after they're updated:
+
 
    
-
    
-All 21 applications: **Synced** and **Healthy**.
    
-
    
-ArgoCD Web UI:
    
-
    
-ArgoCD Applications List
    
-
    
-ArgoCD Application Resource Tree
    
-
    
-
    Benefits Realized

    
-
    
-
    1. Single Source of Truth

    
-
    
-The Git repository at https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf now contains the complete cluster configuration. Anyone can clone it and see exactly what's deployed:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ git clone https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
-$ cd conf/f3s
-$ ls argocd-apps/
-alloy.yaml  anki-sync-server.yaml  audiobookshelf.yaml  ...
+apiVersion: batch/v1
    
+kind: Job
    
+metadata:
    
+  name: grafana-restart-hook
    
+  namespace: monitoring
    
+  annotations:
    
+    argocd.argoproj.io/hook: PostSync
    
+*rgocd.argoproj.io/hook-delete-policy: BeforeHookCreation
    
+*rgocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "10"
    
+*
    
+  *plate:
    
+    spec:
    
+      serviceAccountName: grafana-restart-sa
    
+      restartPolicy: OnFailure
    
+      containers:
    
+        - name: kubectl
    
+          image: bitnami/kubectl:latest
    
+          command:
    
+            - /bin/sh
    
+            - -c
    
+            - |
    
+              kubectl wait --for=condition=available --timeout=300s deployment/prometheus-grafana -n monitoring || true
    
+              kubectl delete pod -n monitoring -l app.kubernetes.io/name=grafana --ignore-not-found=true
    
+  backoffLimit: 2
    
+
    +This *he manual step in the old Justfile that required running `kubectl delete pod` after every upgrade.
+
+## Migration *sults
+
+After * all 21 applications to ArgoCD:
+
 
    
-
    
-
    2. Automatic Synchronization

    
-
    
-Push to Git, and changes deploy automatically:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ cd conf/f3s/miniflux/helm-chart
-$ vim values.yaml  # Change replica count from 1 to 2
-$ git add values.yaml
-$ git commit -m "Scale miniflux to 2 replicas"
-$ git push
-# ArgoCD detects change within 3 minutes and syncs automatically
+$ argocd app *st
    
+NAME                      CLUSTER                         NAMESPACE    PROJECT  STATUS  HEALTH   SYNCPOLICY
    
+alloy                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+anki-sync-server          https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+audiobookshelf            https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+example-apache            https://kubernetes.default.svc  test         default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+example-apache-volume-... https://kubernetes.default.svc  test         default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+filebrowser               https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+freshrss                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+grafana-ingress           https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+immich                    https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+keybr                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+kobo-sync-server          https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+loki                      https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+miniflux                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+opodsync                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+prometheus                https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto
    
+pushgateway               https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+radicale                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+registry                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  infra        default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+syncthing                 https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+tempo                     https://kubernetes.default.svc  monitoring   default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+wallabag                  https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+webdav                    https://kubernetes.default.svc  services     default  Synced  Healthy  Auto-Prune
    
+
    +All 21 applications: Synced and Healthy.
+
+ArgoCD Web UI:
+
+=> ./f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X/argocd-apps-list.png ArgoCD Applications List
+
+=> ./f3s-kubernetes-with-freebsd-part-X/argocd-app-tree.png ArgoCD Application Resource Tree
+
+## Benefits Realized
+
+### 1. Single Source of Truth
+
+The Git repository at `https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf` now contains the complete cluster configuration. Anyone can clone it and see exactly what's deployed:
+
 
    
-
    
-No need to SSH to a workstation, pull the repo, and run just upgrade.
    
-
    
-
    3. Drift Detection and Self-Healing

    
-
    
-If someone manually changes a resource in the cluster, ArgoCD detects it:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ kubectl scale deployment miniflux-server -n services --replicas=3
-deployment.apps/miniflux-server scaled
+$ git clone https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
    
+$ cd conf/f3s
    
+$ ls argocd-apps/
    
+alloy.yaml  anki-sync-server.yaml  audiobookshelf.yaml  ...
    
+
    +### 2. Automatic Synchronization
+
+Push to Git, and changes deploy automatically:
 
-# ArgoCD detects drift within 3 minutes
-$ argocd app get miniflux
-...
-Sync Status:        OutOfSync from master (4e3c216)
 
    
-
    
-With selfHeal: true, ArgoCD automatically reverts the change back to 2 replicas (the value in Git).
    
-
    
-
    4. Easy Rollbacks

    
-
    
-To rollback a change:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ git revert HEAD
-$ git push
-# ArgoCD automatically rolls back to the previous state
+$ cd conf/f3s/miniflux/helm-chart
    
+$ vim values.yaml  # Change replica count from 1 to 2
    
+$ git add values.yaml
    
+$ git commit -m "Scale miniflux to 2 replicas"
    
+$ git push
    
+
    ArgoCD detects change within 3 minutes and syncs automatically

    
+
    +No need to SSH to a workstation, pull the repo, and run `just upgrade`.
+
+### 3. Drift Detection and Self-Healing
+
+If someone manually changes a resource in the cluster, ArgoCD detects it:
+
 
    
+$ kubectl scale deployment miniflux-server -n services --replicas=3
    
+deployment.apps/miniflux-server scaled
    
 
    
-Or rollback to a specific commit:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ argocd app rollback miniflux <revision-id>
+
    ArgoCD detects drift within 3 minutes

    
+$ argocd app get miniflux
    
+...
    
+Sync Status:        OutOfSync from master (4e3c216)
    
+
    +With `selfHeal: true`, ArgoCD automatically reverts the change back to 2 replicas (the value in Git).
+
+### 4. Easy Rollbacks
+
+To rollback a change:
+
 
    
-
    
-
    5. Disaster Recovery

    
-
    
-If the entire cluster is destroyed, recovery is straightforward:
    
-
    
-1. Bootstrap a new k3s cluster
    
-2. Create namespaces
    
-3. Install ArgoCD
    
-4. Apply all Application manifests:
    
-
-
    $ kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/
+$ git revert HEAD
    
+$ git push
    
+
    ArgoCD automatically rolls back to the previous state

    
+
    +Or rollback to a specific commit:
+
 
    
-5. ArgoCD deploys all 21 applications to their desired state
    
-
    
-Total recovery time: ~30 minutes (mostly waiting for pods to pull images and start).
    
-
    
-
    6. Documentation by Default

    
-
    
-The Application manifests serve as documentation:
    
-
    
-
      
-
    • Which Helm chart version is deployed? → Check targetRevision
      • 
-
    • What custom values are configured? → Check valuesObject
      • 
-
    • Which namespace does this deploy to? → Check destination.namespace
      • 
-
    • Is auto-sync enabled? → Check syncPolicy.automated
      • 
-

    
-No more guessing or checking helm list output.
    
-
    
-
    7. Safe Experimentation

    
-
    
-Create a feature branch, make changes, and preview them:
    
-
    
-
-
    $ git checkout -b test-prometheus-upgrade
-$ vim argocd-apps/prometheus.yaml  # Bump chart version
-$ git commit -am "Test Prometheus 56.0.0"
-$ git push origin test-prometheus-upgrade
-
-# Temporarily point ArgoCD at the feature branch
-$ kubectl patch application prometheus -n cicd \
-    --type merge \
-    -p '{"spec":{"source":{"targetRevision":"test-prometheus-upgrade"}}}'
-
-# Verify changes in ArgoCD Web UI
-# If good: merge to master
-# If bad: revert the patch
+$ argocd app rollback miniflux <revision-id>
    
+
    +### 5. Disaster Recovery
+
+If the entire cluster is destroyed, recovery is straightforward:
+
+1. Bootstrap a new k3s cluster
+2. Create namespaces
+3. Install ArgoCD
+4. Apply all Application manifests:
 
    
-
    
-
    Challenges and Solutions

    
-
    
-
    Challenge 1: Helm Release Adoption

    
-
    
-When creating an Application for an existing Helm release, ArgoCD needs to "adopt" the resources. This failed initially with errors like:
    
-
    
+$ kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/
    
 
    -The Helm operation failed with an error: release miniflux failed, and has been uninstalled due to atomic being set: timed out waiting for the condition
+5. ArgoCD deploys all 21 applications to their desired state
+
+Total recovery time: ~30 minutes (mostly waiting for pods to pull images and start).
+
+### 6. Documentation by Default
+
+The Application manifests serve as documentation:
+
+* Which Helm chart version is deployed? → Check `targetRevision`
+* What custom values are configured? → Check `valuesObject`
+* Which namespace does this deploy to? → Check `destination.namespace`
+* Is auto-sync enabled? → Check `syncPolicy.automated`
+
+No more guessing or checking `helm list` output.
+
+### 7. Safe Experimentation
+
+Create a feature branch, make changes, and preview them:
+
 
    
-
    
-**Solution**: For existing Helm releases, I first ensured the Application manifest matched the current Helm values exactly. ArgoCD then recognized the resources were already in the desired state and adopted them without re-deploying.
    
-
    
-
    Challenge 2: Persistent Volumes Not Tracked by Helm

    
-
    
-PersistentVolumes are cluster-scoped resources, not namespace-scoped. Many of my Helm charts created PVs using kubectl apply -f persistent-volumes.yaml outside of Helm.
    
-
    
-**Solution**: For simple apps, I moved the PV definitions into the Helm chart templates. For complex apps (like Prometheus), I used the multi-source pattern with PVs in the manifests/ directory with sync wave 0.
    
-
    
-
    Challenge 3: Secrets Management

    
-
    
-ArgoCD stores Application manifests in Git, but secrets shouldn't be committed in plaintext.
    
-
    
-**Solution (current)**: Secrets are created manually with kubectl create secret and referenced by the Helm charts. The secrets themselves aren't managed by ArgoCD.
    
-
    
-**Future enhancement**: Migrate to External Secrets Operator (ESO) to manage secrets declaratively while storing the actual secrets in a separate backend (Kubernetes secrets in a separate namespace, or eventually Vault).
    
-
    
-
    Challenge 4: Grafana Not Reloading Datasources

    
-
    
-After updating the Grafana datasources ConfigMap, Grafana wouldn't detect the changes until pods were manually deleted.
    
-
    
-**Solution**: Created a PostSync hook that automatically restarts Grafana pods after every ArgoCD sync. This runs as a Kubernetes Job in sync wave 10, ensuring it executes after all other resources are deployed.
    
-
    
-
    Challenge 5: Prometheus With Multiple Sources

    
-
    
-Prometheus needed both the upstream Helm chart and custom manifests (recording rules, dashboards, PVs).
    
-
    
-**Solution**: Used ArgoCD's multi-source feature to combine:
    
-
      
-
    • Helm chart from prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
      • 
-
    • Additional manifests from codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git at path f3s/prometheus/manifests
      • 
-

    
-This keeps the upstream chart cleanly separated from custom configuration.
    
-
    
-
    Challenge 6: Sync Ordering for Prometheus

    
-
    
-Prometheus resources have dependencies:
    
-
      
-
    • PVs before PVCs
      • 
-
    • Secrets before Prometheus Operator
      • 
-
    • PrometheusRule CRDs before Prometheus Operator can process them
      • 
-
    • Grafana must be running before the restart hook executes
      • 
-

    
-**Solution**: Added sync wave annotations to all resources in prometheus/manifests/:
    
-
      
-
    • Wave 0: PVs, RBAC
      • 
-
    • Wave 1: Secrets, ConfigMaps
      • 
-
    • Wave 3: PrometheusRule CRDs (recording rules)
      • 
-
    • Wave 4: Dashboard ConfigMaps
      • 
-
    • Wave 10: PostSync hook (Grafana restart)
      • 
-

    
-ArgoCD deploys resources in wave order, ensuring correct sequencing.
    
-
    
-
    Justfile Evolution

    
-
    
-The Justfiles evolved from deployment tools to utility scripts:
    
-
    
-**Before (Helm deployment)**:
    
-
-
    install:
-    helm install miniflux ./helm-chart -n services
+$ git checkout -b test-prometheus-upgrade
    
+$ vim argocd-apps/prometheus.yaml  # Bump chart version
    
+$ git commit -am "Test Prometheus 56.0.0"
    
+$ git push origin test-prometheus-upgrade
    
+
    
+
    Temporarily point ArgoCD at the feature branch

    
+$ kubectl patch application prometheus -n cicd \
    
+    --type merge \
    
+    -p '{"spec":{"source":{"targetRevision":"test-prometheus-upgrade"}}}'
    
+
    
+
    Verify changes in ArgoCD Web UI

    
+
    If good: merge to master

    
+
    If bad: revert the patch

    
+
    +## Challenges and Solutions
 
-upgrade:
-    helm upgrade miniflux ./helm-chart -n services
+### Challenge 1: Helm Release Adoption
+
+When creating an Application for an existing Helm release, ArgoCD needs to "adopt" the resources. This failed initially with errors like:
 
-uninstall:
-    helm uninstall miniflux -n services
 
    
-
    
-**After (ArgoCD utilities)**:
    
-
-
    status:
-    @kubectl get pods -n services -l app=miniflux
-    @kubectl get application miniflux -n cicd -o jsonpath='Sync: {.status.sync.status}, Health: {.status.health.status}'
+The Helm operation failed with an error: release miniflux failed, and has been uninstalled due to atomic being set: timed out waiting for the condition
    
+
    +Solution: For existing Helm releases, I first ensured the Application manifest matched the current Helm values exactly. ArgoCD then recognized the resources were already in the desired state and adopted them without re-deploying.
 
-sync:
-    @kubectl annotate application miniflux -n cicd argocd.argoproj.io/refresh=normal --overwrite
+### Challenge 2: Persistent Volumes Not Tracked by Helm
 
-argocd-status:
-    argocd app get miniflux --core
+PersistentVolumes are cluster-scoped resources, not namespace-scoped. Many of my Helm charts created PVs using `kubectl apply -f persistent-volumes.yaml` outside of Helm.
 
-logs:
-    kubectl logs -n services -l app=miniflux --tail=100 -f
+Solution: For simple apps, I moved the PV definitions into the Helm chart templates. For complex apps (like Prometheus), I used the multi-source pattern with PVs in the `manifests/` directory with sync wave 0.
+
+### Challenge 3: Secrets Management
+
+ArgoCD stores Application manifests in Git, but secrets shouldn't be committed in plaintext.
+
+Solution (current): Secrets are created manually with `kubectl create secret` and referenced by the Helm charts. The secrets themselves aren't managed by ArgoCD.
+
+Future enhancement: Migrate to External Secrets Operator (ESO) to manage secrets declaratively while storing the actual secrets in a separate backend (Kubernetes secrets in a separate namespace, or eventually Vault).
+
+### Challenge 4: Grafana Not Reloading Datasources
+
+After updating the Grafana datasources ConfigMap, Grafana wouldn't detect the changes until pods were manually deleted.
+
+Solution: Created a PostSync hook that automatically restarts Grafana pods after every ArgoCD sync. This runs as a Kubernetes Job in sync wave 10, ensuring it executes after all other resources are deployed.
+
+### Challenge 5: Prometheus With Multiple Sources
+
+Prometheus needed both the upstream Helm chart and custom manifests (recording rules, dashboards, PVs).
+
+Solution: Used ArgoCD's multi-source feature to combine:
+* Helm chart from `prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts`
+* Additional manifests from `codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git` at path `f3s/prometheus/manifests`
+
+This keeps the upstream chart cleanly separated from custom configuration.
+
+### Challenge 6: Sync Ordering for Prometheus
+
+Prometheus resources have dependencies:
+* PVs before PVCs
+* Secrets before Prometheus Operator
+* PrometheusRule CRDs before Prometheus Operator can process them
+* Grafana must be running before the restart hook executes
+
+Solution: Added sync wave annotations to all resources in `prometheus/manifests/`:
+* Wave 0: PVs, RBAC
+* Wave 1: Secrets, ConfigMaps
+* Wave 3: PrometheusRule CRDs (recording rules)
+* Wave 4: Dashboard ConfigMaps
+* Wave 10: PostSync hook (Grafana restart)
+
+ArgoCD deploys resources in wave order, ensuring correct sequencing.
+
+## Justfile Evolution
+
+The Justfiles evolved from deployment tools to utility scripts:
+
+Before (Helm deployment):
 
    
+install:
    
+    helm install miniflux ./helm-chart -n services
    
 
    
-The Justfiles now provide:
    
-
      
-
    • status: Quick health check
      • 
-
    • sync: Force immediate ArgoCD sync (instead of waiting 3 minutes)
      • 
-
    • argocd-status: Detailed ArgoCD application status
      • 
-
    • logs: Tail application logs
      • 
-
    • Application-specific utilities (e.g., port-forward, restart)
      • 
-

    
-
    Lessons Learned

    
-
    
-1. **Incremental migration is safer than big-bang**: Migrating one app at a time allowed me to validate the pattern and fix issues before they affected all apps.
    
-
    
-2. **Start with simple apps**: The first migration (simple services) established the basic pattern. Complex apps (Prometheus) came later after the pattern was proven.
    
-
    
-3. **Sync waves are essential for complex apps**: Without sync waves, resources deployed in random order and caused failures. Proper ordering eliminated all deployment issues.
    
-
    
-4. **Multi-source is powerful**: Combining upstream Helm charts with custom manifests keeps configuration clean and maintainable.
    
-
    
-5. **PostSync hooks replace manual steps**: The Grafana restart hook eliminated a manual step that was easy to forget.
    
-
    
-6. **Documentation in Git is better than tribal knowledge**: The Application manifests document exactly what's deployed and how. No more "let me check my shell history to remember how I deployed this."
    
-
    
-7. **Self-healing prevents configuration drift**: Multiple times I've manually tweaked something for debugging, forgotten about it, and ArgoCD automatically reverted it back to the desired state.
    
-
    
-8. **ArgoCD Web UI is invaluable**: Seeing the resource tree, sync status, and health status at a glance is much better than running multiple kubectl commands.
    
-
    
-
    Future Improvements

    
-
    
-
    1. External Secrets Operator

    
-
    
-Currently, secrets are manually created with kubectl create secret. This works but isn't declarative. Plan:
    
-
    
-
      
-
    • Deploy External Secrets Operator (ESO)
      • 
-
    • Store actual secrets in a Kubernetes Secret in a separate secrets namespace
      • 
-
    • Create ExternalSecret CRDs that reference the backend secrets
      • 
-
    • ArgoCD manages the ExternalSecret CRDs, ESO creates the actual Secrets
      • 
-

    
-This makes secrets declarative while keeping them out of Git.
    
-
    
-
    2. ApplicationSet for Similar Apps

    
-
    
-Many apps have nearly identical Application manifests (miniflux, freshrss, wallabag, etc.). ArgoCD ApplicationSets can generate multiple Applications from a template:
    
+upgrade:
    
+    helm upgrade miniflux ./helm-chart -n services
    
 
    
+uninstall:
    
+    helm uninstall miniflux -n services
    
 
    -apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
-kind: ApplicationSet
-metadata:
-  name: simple-services
-  namespace: cicd
-spec:
-  generators:
-    - list:
-        elements:
-          - app: miniflux
-          - app: freshrss
-          - app: wallabag
-  template:
-    metadata:
-      name: '{{app}}'
-    spec:
-      project: default
-      source:
-        repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
-        targetRevision: master
-        path: 'f3s/{{app}}/helm-chart'
-      destination:
-        server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
-        namespace: services
-      syncPolicy:
-        automated:
-          prune: true
-          selfHeal: true
+After (ArgoCD utilities):
 
    
+status:
    
+    @kubectl get pods -n services -l app=miniflux
    
+    @kubectl get application miniflux -n cicd -o jsonpath='Sync: {.status.sync.status}, Health: {.status.health.status}'
    
 
    
-One ApplicationSet could replace 10+ individual Application manifests.
    
+sync:
    
+    @kubectl annotate application miniflux -n cicd argocd.argoproj.io/refresh=normal --overwrite
    
 
    
-
    3. App-of-Apps Pattern

    
-
    
-Currently, all Application manifests are applied manually with kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/ -R. An alternative is the "app-of-apps" pattern:
    
-
    
-Create a root Application that deploys all other Applications. With the namespace-organized structure, this could be done per-namespace or for the entire cluster:
    
+argocd-status:
    
+    argocd app get miniflux --core
    
 
    
+logs:
    
+    kubectl logs -n services -l app=miniflux --tail=100 -f
    
 
    -apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
-kind: Application
-metadata:
-  name: root
-  namespace: cicd
-spec:
-  source:
-    repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
-    targetRevision: master
-    path: f3s/argocd-apps
-    directory:
-      recurse: true  # Recursively find all manifests in subdirectories
-  destination:
-    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
-    namespace: cicd
-  syncPolicy:
-    automated:
-      prune: true
-      selfHeal: true
+The Justfiles now provide:
+* `status`: Quick health check
+* `sync`: Force immediate ArgoCD sync (instead of waiting 3 minutes)
+* `argocd-status`: Detailed ArgoCD application status
+* `logs`: Tail application logs
+* Application-specific utilities (e.g., `port-forward`, `restart`)
+
+## Lessons Learned
+
+1. Incremental migration is safer than big-bang: Migrating one app at a time allowed me to validate the pattern and fix issues before they affected all apps.
+
+2. Start with simple apps: The first migration (simple services) established the basic pattern. Complex apps (Prometheus) came later after the pattern was proven.
+
+3. Sync waves are essential for complex apps: Without sync waves, resources deployed in random order and caused failures. Proper ordering eliminated all deployment issues.
+
+4. Multi-source is powerful: Combining upstream Helm charts with custom manifests keeps configuration clean and maintainable.
+
+5. PostSync hooks replace manual steps: The Grafana restart hook eliminated a manual step that was easy to forget.
+
+6. Documentation in Git is better than tribal knowledge: The Application manifests document exactly what's deployed and how. No more "let me check my shell history to remember how I deployed this."
+
+7. Self-healing prevents configuration drift: Multiple times I've manually tweaked something for debugging, forgotten about it, and ArgoCD automatically reverted it back to the desired state.
+
+8. ArgoCD Web UI is invaluable: Seeing the resource tree, sync status, and health status at a glance is much better than running multiple `kubectl` commands.
+
+## Future Improvements
+
+### 1. External Secrets Operator
+
+Currently, secrets are manually created with `kubectl create secret`. This works but isn't declarative. Plan:
+
+* Deploy External Secrets Operator (ESO)
+* Store actual secrets in a Kubernetes Secret in a separate `secrets` namespace
+* Create ExternalSecret CRDs that reference the backend secrets
+* ArgoCD manages the ExternalSecret CRDs, ESO creates the actual Secrets
+
+This makes secrets declarative while keeping them out of Git.
+
+### 2. ApplicationSet for Similar Apps
+
+Many apps have nearly identical Application manifests (miniflux, freshrss, wallabag, etc.). ArgoCD ApplicationSets can generate multiple Applications from a template:
+
 
    
-
    
-Or create separate root apps per namespace:
    
-
    
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
    
+kind: ApplicationSet
    
+metadata:
    
+  name: simple-services
    
+  namespace: cicd
    
+spec:
    
+  generators:
    
+    - list:
    
+        elements:
    
+          - app: miniflux
    
+          - app: freshrss
    
+          - app: wallabag
    
+  template:
    
+    metadata:
    
+      name: '{{app}}'
    
+    spec:
    
+      project: default
    
+      source:
    
+        repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
    
+        targetRevision: master
    
+        path: 'f3s/{{app}}/helm-chart'
    
+      destination:
    
+        server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    
+        namespace: services
    
+      syncPolicy:
    
+        automated:
    
+          prune: true
    
+          selfHeal: true
    
 
    -# root-monitoring.yaml
-apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
-kind: Application
-metadata:
-  name: root-monitoring
-  namespace: cicd
-spec:
-  source:
-    repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
-    targetRevision: master
-    path: f3s/argocd-apps/monitoring
-  destination:
-    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
-    namespace: cicd
-  syncPolicy:
-    automated:
-      prune: true
-      selfHeal: true
+One ApplicationSet could replace 10+ individual Application manifests.
+
+### 3. App-of-Apps Pattern
+
+Currently, all Application manifests are applied manually with `kubectl apply -f argocd-apps/ -R`. An alternative is the "app-of-apps" pattern:
+
+Create a root Application that deploys all other Applications. With the namespace-organized structure, this could be done per-namespace or for the entire cluster:
+
 
    
-
    
-Then disaster recovery becomes:
    
-
-
    $ kubectl apply -f root-app.yaml
-# Root app deploys all 21 applications automatically
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
    
+kind: Application
    
+metadata:
    
+  name: root
    
+  namespace: cicd
    
+spec:
    
+  source:
    
+    repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
    
+    targetRevision: master
    
+    path: f3s/argocd-apps
    
+    directory:
    
+      recurse: true  # Recursively find all manifests in subdirectories
    
+  destination:
    
+    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    
+    namespace: cicd
    
+  syncPolicy:
    
+    automated:
    
+      prune: true
    
+      selfHeal: true
    
+
    +Or create separate root apps per namespace:
 
-# Or apply by namespace
-$ kubectl apply -f root-monitoring.yaml
-$ kubectl apply -f root-services.yaml
-$ kubectl apply -f root-infra.yaml
 
    
-
    
-
    4. ArgoCD Image Updater

    
-
    
-For applications with custom Docker images (like the registry, tracing-demo), ArgoCD Image Updater can automatically update the image tag in Git when a new image is pushed:
    
-
    
+
    root-monitoring.yaml

    
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
    
+kind: Application
    
+metadata:
    
+  name: root-monitoring
    
+  namespace: cicd
    
+spec:
    
+  source:
    
+    repoURL: https://codeberg.org/snonux/conf.git
    
+    targetRevision: master
    
+    path: f3s/argocd-apps/monitoring
    
+  destination:
    
+    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    
+    namespace: cicd
    
+  syncPolicy:
    
+    automated:
    
+      prune: true
    
+      selfHeal: true
    
 
    -metadata:
-  annotations:
-    argocd-image-updater.argoproj.io/image-list: |
-      app=registry.f3s.buetow.org/miniflux:~^v
-    argocd-image-updater.argoproj.io/write-back-method: git
+Then disaster recovery becomes:
 
    
+$ kubectl apply -f root-app.yaml
    
+
    Root app deploys all 21 applications automatically

    
 
    
-When a new image registry.f3s.buetow.org/miniflux:v2.1.0 is pushed, Image Updater automatically:
    
-1. Updates the Helm values in Git
    
-2. Commits the change
    
-3. ArgoCD syncs the new image
    
-
    
-This creates a fully automated CI/CD pipeline.
    
-
    
-
    Summary

    
-
    
-Migrating from imperative Helm deployments to declarative GitOps with ArgoCD transformed how I manage the f3s cluster:
    
-
    
-**Before**:
    
-
      
-
    • Manual Helm commands for every change
      • 
-
    • No visibility into cluster state
      • 
-
    • Difficult to track what changed and when
      • 
-
    • Disaster recovery required rebuilding from memory/notes
      • 
-

    
-**After**:
    
-
      
-
    • Git is the single source of truth
      • 
-
    • Automatic synchronization of changes
      • 
-
    • Complete audit trail in Git history
      • 
-
    • Drift detection and self-healing
      • 
-
    • Disaster recovery: deploy ArgoCD, apply Application manifests, done
      • 
-
    • Organized by namespace for clarity
      • 
-

    
-The migration took several days spread over a few weeks, migrating one application at a time. The result is a more maintainable, reliable, and recoverable cluster.
    
-
    
-All 21 applications are now managed via GitOps, with the configuration living in:
    
-
    
-codeberg.org/snonux/conf/f3s
    
-
    
-The ArgoCD Application manifests are organized by namespace:
    
-
    
-codeberg.org/snonux/conf/f3s/argocd-apps
    
-
    
-ArgoCD has become an essential part of the f3s infrastructure, and I can't imagine managing the cluster without it.
    
-
    
-Other *BSD-related posts:
    
-
    
-2025-12-07 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 8: Observability
    
-2025-10-02 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 7: k3s and first pod deployments
    
-2025-07-14 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 6: Storage
    
-2025-05-11 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 5: WireGuard mesh network
    
-2025-04-05 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 4: Rocky Linux Bhyve VMs
    
-2025-02-01 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 3: Protecting from power cuts
    
-2024-12-03 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 2: Hardware and base installation
    
-2024-11-17 f3s: Kubernetes with FreeBSD - Part 1: Setting the stage
    
-2024-04-01 KISS high-availability with OpenBSD
    
-2024-01-13 One reason why I love OpenBSD
    
-2022-10-30 Installing DTail on OpenBSD
    
-2022-07-30 Let's Encrypt with OpenBSD and Rex
    
-2016-04-09 Jails and ZFS with Puppet on FreeBSD
    
-
    
-E-Mail your comments to paul@nospam.buetow.org
    
-
    
-Back to the main site
    
+
    Or apply by namespace

    
+$ kubectl apply -f root-monitoring.yaml
    
+$ kubectl apply -f root-services.yaml
    
+$ kubectl apply -f root-infra.yaml
    
+
    +### 4. ArgoCD Image Updater
+
+For applications with custom Docker images (like the registry, tracing-demo), ArgoCD Image Updater can automatically update the image tag in Git when a new image is pushed:
+
+
    
+metadata:
    
+  annotations:
    
+    argocd-image-updater.argoproj.io/image-list: |
    
+      app=registry.f3s.foo.zone/miniflux:~^v
    
+    argocd-image-updater.argoproj.io/write-back-method: git
    
 
    
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