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Argo CD GitOps Migration (Rocket.Chat)
Argo CD migration for Rocket.Chat: Helm releases and one-commit upgrades instead of static manifests.
Historical deployment. The hosted environment has been retired; source and recorded evidence remain available.
ArgoCD · GitOps · Helm · Kubernetes · Prometheus · OpenTelemetry · MongoDB · NATS
Overview
GitOps migration for Rocket.Chat: static manifests replaced with Argo CD + Helm.
Goal: upgrades become a single version bump instead of manifest rewrites.
What changed
- 10,355 lines of YAML deleted by moving to Helm + GitOps composition
- One-commit upgrades for day-2 operations
Upgrade path
- Adopted existing in-cluster MongoDB and NATS without downtime
- Upgraded Rocket.Chat v7.12.2 → v7.13.2 via Multi-Source apps
Links
- Deployment: the hosted Argo CD environment and Rocket.Chat sandbox have been retired.
- Source: https://github.com/Canepro/central-observability-hub-stack/tree/main/argocd
Safety
- Stateful volumes use Retain policies
ops/Kustomize app manages shared cluster primitives under Argo CD
Outcomes
Removed 10,355 lines of YAML; Rocket.Chat upgrades now run through Argo CD Multi-Source and Helm.
Challenges and solutions
Challenges
- Reducing operational overhead without breaking running stateful services
- Adopting existing resources under GitOps control safely (no surprise deletes)
- Creating an upgrade workflow that is reproducible and low-risk
Solutions
- ArgoCD Multi-Source Apps to separate “ops” Kustomize from “app” Helm releases
- Controlled adoption patterns for existing MongoDB/NATS resources before any upgrade
- Helm-driven version bump workflow to make upgrades a single, reviewable change
Technology stack
GitOps
ArgoCD · ArgoCD Multi-Source
Kubernetes
Kubernetes · Helm
Data
MongoDB · NATS
Observability
Prometheus · OpenTelemetry