Packer
Create identical machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration.
Overview
Packer is an open-source tool from HashiCorp that automates the creation of any type of machine image. It embraces modern configuration management, allowing you to install and configure software within your images as they are being built. Packer is lightweight, runs on every major operating system, and is highly performant, creating machine images for multiple platforms in parallel. It doesn't replace configuration management tools like Chef or Puppet; in fact, it works with them to install software onto the images.
✨ Key Features
- Automated machine image creation
- Multi-platform support (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Docker, etc.)
- Integration with provisioners (Shell, Ansible, Chef, Puppet)
- Parallel builds
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Single tool for creating images for multiple platforms
- Integration with configuration management tools
- Declarative configuration
Unique Value: Provides a single, consistent workflow for creating machine images for any platform.
🎯 Use Cases (3)
✅ Best For
- Building a hardened and pre-configured operating system image
- Creating a Docker image with an application and its dependencies
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Managing running infrastructure (it's a tool for building images, not managing them)
🏆 Alternatives
Offers a more automated and reproducible process for building images compared to manual methods or custom scripts.
💻 Platforms
✅ Offline Mode Available
🔌 Integrations
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Packer is open source and free to use.
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