tools-only RollbackApp Workflow
Safely rollback an ArgoCD application to a previous version.
When to Use
- Bad deployment caused issues
- Need to revert to known-good state
- Testing rollback procedures
Prerequisites
- Know the application name
- Have appropriate permissions for rollback
Workflow Steps
Step 1: View Deployment History
# List deployment history
argocd app history <app-name>
Output example:
ID DATE REVISION
0 2025-01-13 10:00:00 +0000 UTC abc1234 (HEAD)
1 2025-01-12 15:30:00 +0000 UTC def5678 (v1.2.0)
2 2025-01-11 09:00:00 +0000 UTC 789abcd (v1.1.0)
- ID 0 = Current deployment
- Higher IDs = Older deployments
Step 2: Review Target State (Optional but Recommended)
Before rolling back, understand what you're reverting to:
# Get current app details
argocd app get <app-name>
# Check what manifest the target revision had
argocd app manifests <app-name> --revision <commit-sha>
Step 3: Perform Rollback
# Interactive rollback (with confirmation)
argocd app rollback <app-name> <history-id>
# Non-interactive rollback
argocd app rollback <app-name> <history-id> --yes
# Rollback with timeout (wait for completion)
argocd app rollback <app-name> <history-id> --timeout 300
Step 4: Verify Rollback Success
# Check app status
argocd app get <app-name>
# Verify resources are healthy
argocd app resources <app-name> --tree
# Check sync status shows the rolled-back revision
argocd app get <app-name> -o json | jq '{revision: .status.sync.revision, health: .status.health.status}'
Important Considerations
Rollback vs Re-sync
Rollback (argocd app rollback):
- Deploys a specific historical revision
- App will show OutOfSync (live != Git HEAD)
- Good for emergency recovery
Re-sync to tag/commit (argocd app sync --revision):
- Syncs to specific Git ref
- Updates app's target revision config
- Better for controlled version management
# Sync to specific tag
argocd app sync <app-name> --revision v1.1.0
# Sync to specific commit
argocd app sync <app-name> --revision abc1234
Auto-Sync Warning
If app has auto-sync enabled, rollback will be immediately overwritten:
# Check sync policy
argocd app get <app-name> -o json | jq '.spec.syncPolicy'
# Disable auto-sync before rollback if needed
argocd app set <app-name> --sync-policy none
# After rollback, re-enable if desired
argocd app set <app-name> --sync-policy automated
Rollback Scenarios
Scenario 1: Emergency Rollback
# Quick rollback to last known good (usually ID 1)
argocd app rollback <app-name> 1 --yes
# Verify immediately
argocd app get <app-name>
Scenario 2: Rollback with Auto-Sync
# 1. Disable auto-sync
argocd app set <app-name> --sync-policy none
# 2. Rollback
argocd app rollback <app-name> 1 --yes
# 3. Verify
argocd app get <app-name>
# 4. Fix the issue in Git, then re-enable
argocd app set <app-name> --sync-policy automated
Scenario 3: Multi-Source App Rollback
For apps with multiple sources, you may need to sync specific source revisions:
# Sync specific revisions per source
argocd app sync <app-name> \
--revisions <chart-version> --source-positions 1 \
--revisions <values-commit> --source-positions 2
Post-Rollback Actions
- Document the incident - Note why rollback was needed
- Fix forward in Git - Revert bad changes in the repository
- Re-enable auto-sync - If disabled
- Notify team - Communicate the rollback