Enable batch task orchestration in an ACK cluster - Container Compute Service

Argo Workflows is a Kubernetes-native workflow engine that orchestrates parallel tasks using YAML or Python. It simplifies the automation and management of containerized applications for use cases such as CI/CD pipelines, data processing, and machine learning. You can install the Argo Workflows component to enable batch task orchestration and then use the Alibaba Cloud Argo CLI or the console to create and manage workflows.

Step 1: Install the Argo Workflows component

You can install Argo Workflows on the Add-ons page.

Log on to the ACS console. In the left navigation pane, click Clusters.
On the Clusters page, click the name of the target cluster. In the left navigation pane, click Add-ons.
On the Add-ons page, find Argo Workflows and follow the on-screen instructions to install the component.
After the installation is complete, you can check the installation status. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Applications > Helm. The installation is successful if the status of ack-workflow is Deployed.

Step 2: Access Argo Workflows

ACK provides two ways to create and manage workflows: the Alibaba Cloud Argo CLI and the Argo console.

Method 1: Install the Alibaba Cloud Argo CLI

The Alibaba Cloud Argo CLI extends the open-source Argo CLI with enhanced metrics and logging. It lets you monitor CPU and memory consumption for workflows, track operating costs, and query logs from Pods that have already been deleted.

Download the CLI binary for your operating system: To download the Linux binary from the command line, run:

OS	Download link
Linux	argo-cli-aliyun-linux
macOS (Darwin)	argo-cli-aliyun-darwin

wget https://ack-one.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/cli/v3.4.12/argo-cli-aliyun-linux

Grant the binary executable permissions:
```
chmod +x argo-cli-aliyun-linux
```
Move it to a directory in your PATH, such as /usr/local/bin/:
```
mv argo-cli-aliyun-linux /usr/local/bin/argo
```

Method 2: Access the Argo console

Get an access token

The Argo console requires a bearer token. Generate a temporary token (valid for 1 hour) from the ack-argo-server Service account in the argo namespace:

kubectl create token ack-argo-server -n argo

Expected output:

elxxxxxxxxxx

Use this token to build your login credential in the format Bearer <token>. For example:

Bearer elxxxxxxxxxx

Open the Argo console

By default, the Argo Server is accessible only within the cluster. To access it over the Internet, expose it through a LoadBalancer Service first.

(Optional) Expose the Argo Server to the Internet.
1. Run the following command to edit the Argo Server Service and set the value of type to LoadBalancer:
```
kubectl edit service argo-server -n argo
```
2. To restrict access to the LoadBalancer, see Work with the access control feature of SLB.
Get the public IP address assigned to the Argo Server Service:
```
kubectl get service argo-server -n argo
```
The public IP is the value in the EXTERNAL-IP field.
Open a browser and navigate to:
```
https://${IP}:2746
```
The login page appears:
Enter your bearer token in the text box using the format Bearer <token>, then log in.
After logging in, set the namespace to argo to view workflow status.

Next steps

You can now use the CLI or the console to create a sample workflow in the ACK cluster. For more information, see Create a workflow.