# Try Argo CD Locally {#try-argo-cd-locally}




> [!TIP]
> This guide assumes you have a grounding in the tools that Argo CD is based on. Please read [understanding the basics](https://sourcey-argocd.pages.dev/understand_the_basics/index.md) to learn about these tools.



Follow these steps to install `Kind` for local development and set it up with Argo CD.

To run an Argo CD development environment review the [developer guide for running locally](https://sourcey-argocd.pages.dev/developer-guide/running-locally/index.md).


## Install Kind {#install-kind}


Install Kind following their quick-start [instructions](https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/docs/user/quick-start#installation).


## Create a Kind Cluster {#create-a-kind-cluster}
Once Kind is installed, create a new Kubernetes cluster with:
```bash
kind create cluster --name argocd-cluster
```
This will create a local Kubernetes cluster named `argocd-cluster`.


## Set Up kubectl to Use the Kind Cluster {#set-up-kubectl-to-use-the-kind-cluster}
After creating the cluster, set `kubectl` to use your new `kind` cluster:
```bash
kubectl cluster-info --context kind-argocd-cluster
```
This command verifies that `kubectl` is pointed to the right cluster.


## Install ArgoCD on the Cluster {#install-argocd-on-the-cluster}
You can now install Argo CD on your `kind` cluster. First, apply the Argo CD manifest to create the necessary resources:
```bash
kubectl create namespace argocd
kubectl apply -n argocd --server-side --force-conflicts -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/argoproj/argo-cd/stable/manifests/install.yaml
```



> [!NOTE]
> The `--server-side --force-conflicts` flags are required because some Argo CD CRDs exceed the size limit for client-side apply. See the [getting started guide](https://sourcey-argocd.pages.dev/getting_started/index.md) for more details.



## Expose ArgoCD API Server {#expose-argocd-api-server}
By default, Argo CD's API server is not exposed outside the cluster. You need to expose it to access the UI locally. For development purposes, you can use Kubectl 'port-forward'.
```bash
kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:443
```
This will forward port 8080 on your local machine to the ArgoCD API server’s port 443 inside the Kubernetes cluster.


## Access ArgoCD UI {#access-argocd-ui}
Now, you can open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080 to access the ArgoCD UI.


### Log in to ArgoCD {#log-in-to-argocd}
To log in to the ArgoCD UI, you'll need the default admin password. You can retrieve it from the Kubernetes cluster:
```bash
kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath='{.data.password}' | base64 -d
```
Use the admin username and the retrieved password to log in.

You can now move on to step #2 in the [Getting Started Guide](https://sourcey-argocd.pages.dev/getting_started/index.md).