How to install Packer on Linux

Machine imageMachine image can be in the form of VM, Docker, or bare metal images. creation and its subsequent management and deployment on different platforms are essential in the cloud computing domain. One of the open-source tools utilized for this purpose is HashiCorp Packer, which automates this need across various cloud providers. It is most commonly used to deploy environments on cloud platforms. In this Answer, we’ll expand on Packer’s fundamentals and how it’s installed on Linux machines.

Packer components

HashiCorp is at the forefront of the industry-wide movement toward Infrastructure as Code (IaC). It typically utilizes a JSON language, through which provisioners are defined to our machine images. Apart from JSON, a combination of YAML and Go can also be used to build consistent images across a variety of platforms. Along with provisioners, builders and post-processors are also integral to Packer, the details of which are provided in the table below:

Elements in Packer

Provisioner

Builder

Post-Processor

Configures the image after it's been built.

Packer builds on the base images made from the builder.

Further modifications after the machine image is built and provisioned.

Can use shell scripts or external tools like PowerShell or Chef.

Typically integrates with third-party platforms such as Azure, Google Cloud, and many more.

Supports various platforms such as VMware and VirtualBox.

Prepares for image deployment by defining settings and running scripts to install necessary packages.

Adds specifications (e.g., instance type, authentication methods) to the created machine images.

Includes changes like compression methods for the image or converting it into a different format.

Packer installation

We recommend using Linux with Packer, as Windows and macOS often have issues with obscure techniques and longer debugging times. The commands are given below:

apt install unzip
wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/packer/1.9.1/packer_1.9.1_linux_amd64.zip
unzip packer_1.9.1_linux_amd64.zip
mv packer /usr/local/bin/
packer version

Try it yourself

The commands above are to install Packer in a Ubuntu environment. We can simulate these commands in the terminal below:

Terminal 1
Terminal
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