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Migration to Hydra

This section is for operators who already know how to manage Kubernetes clusters with kubectl, Helm, and possibly ArgoCD, and want to understand how Hydra changes their workflow.

Hydra does not replace these tools. It wraps and orchestrates them. You still use the same Kubernetes concepts, but Hydra moves the source of truth into Git and makes the operational workflow explicit.

Start Here

What Changes

Before Hydra With Hydra
You run commands against each cluster manually You define the desired state in files, Hydra applies it
You remember which apps are installed where The directory structure is the source of truth
You manage values files yourself Hydra merges values automatically from a hierarchy
You install apps one by one in the right order Hydra installs everything in dependency order
You manually back up secrets before changes Hydra has built-in backup/restore commands
ArgoCD apps are created manually in the UI Hydra generates ArgoCD apps from the directory structure

What Stays the Same

  • Kubernetes concepts stay the same: pods, deployments, services, namespaces, and secrets.
  • Helm charts stay the same: Hydra still renders normal Helm charts.
  • ArgoCD stays the reconciler on the cluster: Hydra helps generate and control it.
  • kubectl stays useful for inspection and debugging.
  • SOPS stays the mechanism for encrypted secret material.

Reading Guide

Your background Start here
I know kubectl, helm install, and helm upgrade From helm install to ArgoCD and Hydra
I already use ArgoCD CLI Reference - ArgoCD Topics
I'm coming from Flux See below

Note on Flux Migration

The long-term goal is to replace Flux with ArgoCD plus Hydra for all clusters. Currently:

  • Private Demo installations use ArgoCD plus Hydra.
  • Public Demo uses Flux and will be migrated.
  • Squad clusters will need to be migrated to ArgoCD.

The migration path is:

  1. Install ArgoCD on the cluster.
  2. Define the cluster in gitops-repository/.
  3. Point it to the shared charts in charts-repository/.
  4. Use hydra gitops apply to bootstrap the initial desired state.

The Hydra directory structure keeps the new setup aligned with all other clusters.