Deploy using GitOps and Argo CD

Deploy OpenShift Dev Spaces declaratively through OpenShift GitOps (Argo CD) so that every configuration change is tracked in Git, auditable, and automatically reconciled on the cluster.

Before you begin

You have an OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 or later cluster with cluster-admin access.
You have the OpenShift GitOps operator installed on the cluster. See This page is not included, but the link has been rewritten to point to the nearest parent document.Installing OpenShift GitOps.
You have an active oc session with administrative permissions to the OpenShift cluster. See This page is not included, but the link has been rewritten to point to the nearest parent document.Getting started with the OpenShift CLI.
You have a Git repository accessible from the cluster (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or an internal Git server).

About this task

With this method, you store the Operator subscription and CheCluster configuration in a Git repository. Argo CD monitors the repository and applies changes to the cluster automatically. You manage OpenShift Dev Spaces through Git commits instead of direct cluster commands.

Procedure

In your Git repository, create a directory for the OpenShift Dev Spaces manifests. The directory contains three files: the Operator subscription, the CheCluster custom resource, and a Kustomize configuration.
Repository structure
```
<your-gitops-repo>/
└── devspaces/
    ├── subscription.yaml
    ├── checluster.yaml
    └── kustomization.yaml
```

Create the subscription.yaml file with the namespace and Operator subscription:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
  name: openshift-devspaces
---
apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  name: devspaces
  namespace: openshift-operators
spec:
  channel: stable
  installPlanApproval: Automatic
  name: devspaces
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace

Create the checluster.yaml file with the OpenShift Dev Spaces instance configuration:

apiVersion: org.eclipse.che/v2
kind: CheCluster
metadata:
  name: devspaces
  namespace: openshift-devspaces
spec:
  components:
    cheServer:
      debug: false
      logLevel: INFO
    metrics:
      enable: true
    pluginRegistry:
      openVSXURL: https://open-vsx.org
  devEnvironments:
    startTimeoutSeconds: 300
    defaultEditor: che-incubator/che-code/latest
    defaultNamespace:
      autoProvision: true
      template: <username>-devspaces
    storage:
      pvcStrategy: per-user

Create the kustomization.yaml file:

apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
  - subscription.yaml
  - checluster.yaml

Commit and push the files to your Git repository.

Grant the Argo CD service account the permissions required to create namespaces and install Operators:

$ oc apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRole
metadata:
  name: openshift-gitops-devspaces-installer
rules:
  - apiGroups: [""]
    resources: ["namespaces"]
    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch"]
  - apiGroups: ["operators.coreos.com"]
    resources: ["subscriptions", "operatorgroups"]
    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
  - apiGroups: ["org.eclipse.che"]
    resources: ["checlusters"]
    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: openshift-gitops-devspaces-installer
roleRef:
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: openshift-gitops-devspaces-installer
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: openshift-gitops-argocd-application-controller
    namespace: openshift-gitops
EOF

Create the Argo CD Application resource that points to your Git repository:

$ oc apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: devspaces
  namespace: openshift-gitops
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: <your-git-repo-url>
    targetRevision: main
    path: devspaces
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      selfHeal: true
      prune: true
    retry:
      limit: 10
      backoff:
        duration: 30s
        factor: 2
        maxDuration: 5m
    syncOptions:
      - CreateNamespace=true
      - ServerSideApply=true
      - SkipDryRunOnMissingResource=true
EOF

SkipDryRunOnMissingResource: Required because the CheCluster custom resource definition (CRD) does not exist until the Operator installs it. This option tells Argo CD to skip validation for unknown resource types and apply them directly.
selfHeal: Reverts manual changes on the cluster to match the Git repository state.

Wait for Argo CD to sync the resources. The Operator installs first, registers the CheCluster CRD, and then Argo CD applies the CheCluster custom resource.

Results

Verify that the Argo CD Application reports Synced and Healthy:

$ oc get application devspaces -n openshift-gitops \
    -o jsonpath='{.status.sync.status}{" "}{.status.health.status}'

Expected output: Synced Healthy

Verify that the CheCluster is active:

$ oc get checluster devspaces -n openshift-devspaces \
    -o jsonpath='{.status.chePhase}'

Expected output: Active

Retrieve the OpenShift Dev Spaces dashboard URL and open it in a browser:
```
$ oc get checluster devspaces -n openshift-devspaces \
    -o jsonpath='{.status.cheURL}'
```

Sync fails with "CheCluster CRD not found": Verify that the Argo CD Application includes SkipDryRunOnMissingResource=true in the syncOptions.
Operator reports "OwnNamespace InstallModeType not supported": The Subscription must target the openshift-operators namespace (AllNamespaces mode). Do not place the Subscription in the openshift-devspaces namespace.
Sync retries but CheCluster is not created: The Operator may still be installing. Wait for the ClusterServiceVersion to reach Succeeded:
```
$ oc get csv -n openshift-operators | grep devspaces
```