Packer

Packer is a software tool used for creating identical machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. It can be used for automating the creation of application packages, such as virtual machine images. Packer is available as an open source tool and is commonly used for the creation of software packages for various environments such as cloud, datacenters, and on-premises deployments.

Packer works by defining a single source configuration file (known as a “packer template”) containing the instructions for creating the machine images. These templates are written in popular scripting languages such as JSON, YAML, and Go. Packer also allows for usage of input variables, which allow customization of the machine images. These variables can be set at the time of building an image, providing a layer of abstraction and preventing the need for manual changes across images.

Packer provides a simple, consistent way to create identical machine images for platforms including Amazon Machine Images (AMI), Microsoft Azure Images, Google Compute Engine (GCE) images, VMware, VirtualBox, Proxmox, and many others. It automates the process of creating and configuring various machine images for these platforms. By using Packer for image creation, organizations can reduce the time and money required for manually building images for multiple platforms.

Lastly, Packer is written in the Go programming language and is distributed as a single binary, making it very easy to install and deploy on a variety of platforms. Packer is also configured to work with multiple versions of cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, meaning that users can choose the image format and cloud platform that is best suited for their environment.