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Before and after

Argo CD, before and after

A Helm chart you can't read becomes objects you can.

Before and after

Before: the Helm chart
      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: {{ .Values.repoServer.terminationGracePeriodSeconds }}
      {{- end }}
      serviceAccountName: {{ include "argo-cd.repoServer.serviceAccountName" . }}
      automountServiceAccountToken: {{ .Values.repoServer.automountServiceAccountToken }}
      containers:
      - name: {{ .Values.repoServer.name }}
        image: {{ default .Values.global.image.repository .Values.repoServer.image.repository }}:{{ default (include "argo-cd.defaultTag" .) .Values.repoServer.image.tag }}
        imagePullPolicy: {{ default .Values.global.image.imagePullPolicy .Values.repoServer.image.imagePullPolicy }}
        args:
        - /usr/local/bin/argocd-repo-server
        - --port={{ .Values.repoServer.containerPorts.server }}
        - --metrics-port={{ .Values.repoServer.containerPorts.metrics }}
        {{- with .Values.repoServer.extraArgs }}
          {{- toYaml . | nindent 8 }}
        {{- end }}
        env:

16 lines of templates/argocd-repo-server/deployment.yaml, around its image line. The chart has many files like this.

After: in ConfigHub
ConfigHub showing the Argo CD repo-server Deployment, at its image line

The same image line in ConfigHub, as a plain value. Taken in the helm-catalog organization on 2026-10-25, showing the Argo CD repo-server Deployment, at its image line.

ConfigHub holds this as 55 Units, one for each of the 54 objects the installer writes and one installer record.

In ConfigHub: one base, and a variant for each environment
ConfigHub showing the Argo CD base with its dev and prod variants, and the label and three replicas prod sets on the server

Prod's panel lists what prod changes from the base, here its label and three replicas of the server. Taken in the helm-catalog organization on 2026-10-26, showing the Argo CD base with its dev and prod variants, and the label and three replicas prod sets on the server.

  • The template's image line becomes one plain value you can read, and so does every other field.
  • The 4 setup objects Helm runs out of sight become steps you can read.
  • Every object is written out, so you can review it before anything runs.

What Helm does that you never see, and what happens here instead

What Helm doesWhat happens here instead
Adds 3 new kinds of Kubernetes object, such as Application, ApplicationSet, AppProject.They are in ConfigHub with everything else, and they go in first, so the objects that use them are not rejected. They are also marked to stay if the rest is deleted, because deleting a CRD deletes every object of that kind.
Show meConfigHub showing the 3 Argo CD CRDs as Units in the base

The 3 new kinds

  • Application
  • ApplicationSet
  • AppProject
Runs a Job before installing that makes a password Secret for Argo CD's own Redis.Nothing runs out of sight. The Secret argocd/argocd-redis must exist before delivery.
Show me

What Helm runs, and when

  • ServiceAccount argo-cd-argocd-redis-secret-init: before installing, before upgrading
  • Role argo-cd-argocd-redis-secret-init: before installing, before upgrading
  • RoleBinding argo-cd-argocd-redis-secret-init: before installing, before upgrading
  • Job argo-cd-argocd-redis-secret-init: before installing, before upgrading

ConfigHub keeps configuration as plain objects, with a history of every change. Loading puts this chart's objects in a Space, a folder in your ConfigHub organization.

Load it into your ConfigHub

Sign in with the first line, then paste the rest. It fetches the Argo CD package, writes its files, and saves them as a Space called argo-cd-example in your organization. The rest makes a dev and a prod variant of it, and prod runs three replicas of the server. It touches no cluster.

$ cub auth login

$ cub installer setup --pull oci://europe-west1-docker.pkg.dev/nth-fort-499605-q5/helm-expt/argo-cd-argo-cd:10.7.0@sha256:0e75c12f38108e3606fd8fa410232e89c02858ac466414f361a6599295cb6c24 --base default --work-dir ./argo-cd-example --non-interactive --namespace argocd && cub installer upload --work-dir ./argo-cd-example --space argo-cd-example && cub component create argo-cd-example && cub space update --patch argo-cd-example --component argo-cd-example

$ cub variant create dev argo-cd-example --change-desc "Clone the base as dev"

$ cub variant create prod argo-cd-example --change-desc "Clone the base as prod"

$ cub function set --space argo-cd-example-dev --change-desc "Label every object environment dev" set-label environment dev

$ cub function set --space argo-cd-example-prod --change-desc "Label every object environment prod" set-label environment prod

$ cub function set --space argo-cd-example-prod --unit deployment-argocd-argo-cd-argocd-server --change-desc "Run three replicas in prod" set-replicas 3

You need a ConfigHub account and cub with its installer plugin and kustomize.

Try it on your laptop

No account needed. This fetches the Argo CD package and writes every object into a folder you can open. To check your own chart and values instead, see Is my configuration right?

$ cub installer setup --pull oci://europe-west1-docker.pkg.dev/nth-fort-499605-q5/helm-expt/argo-cd-argo-cd:10.7.0@sha256:0e75c12f38108e3606fd8fa410232e89c02858ac466414f361a6599295cb6c24 --base default --work-dir ./argo-cd-example --non-interactive --namespace argocd && ls ./argo-cd-example/out/manifests

You need cub with its installer plugin and kustomize.

Show me the details (for experienced users)