CKA Prep Series part 3: Install Argo CD with Helm

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The CKA is a practical, hands-on exam. You work directly in a terminal and complete Kubernetes administration tasks on a running cluster.

One tool you should know is Helm, the package manager for Kubernetes. Helm uses charts to package applications and their Kubernetes resources. With Helm, you can install applications, select chart versions, override values, and generate Kubernetes manifests.

This article focuses on a typical Argo CD task. You must add the Argo CD Helm repository, generate a template using a specific chart version, disable CRD installation, and save the generated YAML to a required file.

The example task is:

Add the Argo CD Helm repository as argo. Generate a template from chart version 7.7.3 for the argocd namespace. Configure the chart so that it does not install CRDs, and save the output to /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

1. Add the Helm repository

helm repo add argo https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm

Here:

  • argo is the local repository name.
  • https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm is the repository URL.

You can verify the repository:

helm repo list

Expected output:

NAME    URL
argo    https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm

You can search for charts in the repository:

helm search repo argo

The Argo CD chart is:

argo/argo-cd

2. Generate the Helm template

helm template argocd argo/argo-cd --version 7.7.3 --namespace argocd --set crds.install=false > /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

This command does not install Argo CD. It only generates the Kubernetes YAML manifest and saves it to:

/home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

Command breakdown

helm template

Renders the chart without installing it.

argocd

The Helm release name.

argo/argo-cd

The chart name:

  • Repository: argo
  • Chart: argo-cd
--version 7.7.3

Uses the required chart version.

--namespace argocd

Generates the resources for the argocd namespace.

--set crds.install=false

Prevents the chart from installing CRDs.

> /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

Redirects the generated YAML into the required file.

3. Verify the generated file

ls -l /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

You can also inspect the generated manifest:

less /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

What you should remember

The essential command pattern is:

bashhelm template RELEASE_NAME REPOSITORY/CHART \
  --version CHART_VERSION \
  --namespace NAMESPACE \
  --set crds.install=false \
  > OUTPUT_FILE

For this task:

bashhelm template argocd argo/argo-cd \
  --version 7.7.3 \
  --namespace argocd \
  --set crds.install=false \
  > /home/argo/argo-helm.yaml

And that is essentially all you need for this type of CKA task.

This task is not about configuring Argo CD or creating an application. It tests whether you can follow the requirements, use Helm correctly, apply the requested values, and save the output to the correct location.

With this workflow practiced, the task should be quick and straightforward during the exam. Always read the question carefully, use the exact names and versions provided, and verify that the output file was created successfully.

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