---
title: Enabling Server-Side Diff in Argo CD on AKP
description: How to enable Server-Side Diff at the Argo CD Controller level on Akuity Platform (AKP)
---

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# Enabling Server-Side Diff in Argo CD on AKP

## How to enable Server-Side Diff at the Argo CD Controller level on Akuity Platform (AKP)

Server-Side Diff can be enabled at the Argo CD Controller level using cluster-level M**anifest Customization** (Kustomize patch) in the Akuity Platform UI.

#### **Option 1: Enable via Cluster Kustomization**

You can use the **Manifests Customization** section in the AKP UI as shown in the image to patch the Argo CD Application Controller and set the `ARGOCD_APPLICATION_CONTROLLER_SERVER_SIDE_DIFF` environment variable.

![](https://support.akuity.io/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png.png?width=688&height=646&name=image-png.png)  
Here is an example of how to do it using Kustomize:

`apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1 kind: Kustomization patches: - target:     kind: Deployment     name: argocd-application-controller   patch: |-     apiVersion: apps/v1     kind: Deployment     metadata:       name: argocd-application-controller     spec:       template:         spec:           containers:           - name: argocd-application-controller             env:             - name: ARGOCD_APPLICATION_CONTROLLER_SERVER_SIDE_DIFF               value: "true"               valueFrom: null`

> 📝 This ensures the environment variable is directly injected into the controller container and enables server-side diff globally.

### **Option 2: Enable Server-Side Diff per Application**

If you'd prefer to enable Server-Side Diff for individual Argo CD Applications instead of globally, you can add an annotation:

`metadata: annotations:   argocd.argoproj.io/compare-options: ServerSideDiff=true`

This is useful when you want fine-grained control over specific apps rather than enabling it cluster-wide.

- Use the **Kustomization patch** in AKP to persistently enable server-side diff at the controller level.
- Avoid `kubectl edit` for AKP-managed clusters.
- Use annotations for per-application configuration when needed.

Reference: [https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/user-guide/diff-strategies/#enabling-it](https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/en/stable/user-guide/diff-strategies/#enabling-it)

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