Create an Argo CD capability - Amazon EKS
PrerequisitesChoose your toolWhat happens when you create an Argo CD capabilityNext steps

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Create an Argo CD capability

This topic explains how to create an Argo CD capability on your Amazon EKS cluster.

Prerequisites

Before creating an Argo CD capability, ensure you have:

  • An existing Amazon EKS cluster running a supported Kubernetes version (all versions in standard and extended support are supported)

  • AWS Identity Center configured - Required for Argo CD authentication (local users are not supported)

  • An IAM Capability Role with permissions for Argo CD

  • Sufficient IAM permissions to create capability resources on EKS clusters

  • kubectl configured to communicate with your cluster

  • (Optional) The Argo CD CLI installed for easier cluster and repository management

  • (For CLI/eksctl) The appropriate CLI tool installed and configured

For instructions on creating the IAM Capability Role, see Amazon EKS capability IAM role. For Identity Center setup, see Getting started with AWS Identity Center.

Important

The IAM Capability Role you provide determines which AWS resources Argo CD can access. This includes Git repository access via CodeConnections and secrets in Secrets Manager. For guidance on creating an appropriate role with least-privilege permissions, see Amazon EKS capability IAM role and Security considerations for EKS Capabilities.

Choose your tool

You can create an Argo CD capability using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or eksctl:

What happens when you create an Argo CD capability

When you create an Argo CD capability:

  1. EKS creates the Argo CD capability service and configures it to monitor and manage resources in your cluster

  2. Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) are installed in your cluster

  3. The capability assumes the IAM Capability Role you provide

  4. Argo CD begins watching for its custom resources

  5. The capability status changes from CREATING to ACTIVE

  6. The Argo CD UI becomes accessible through its endpoint

Once active, you can create Argo CD Applications in your cluster to deploy from Git repositories.

Next steps

After creating the Argo CD capability:

  • Working with Argo CD - Configure repository access, register target clusters, and create Applications

  • Argo CD concepts - Learn about GitOps principles, sync policies, and multi-cluster patterns

  • Argo CD considerations - Explore multi-cluster architecture patterns and advanced configuration