Set up automated workflows to keep systems and applications consistent globally, regardless of architecture, cloud, or container runtime

Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook
Key Features

Automate building and modifying complex software images across multiple OSs and container engines
Minimize cost by keeping your systems ready across multiple architectures, including ARM and future RISC-V processors
Speed up your time to market by building and testing apps using upstream and future releases

Book Description

Creating machine images can be time-consuming and error-prone when done manually. HashiCorp Packer enables you to automate this process by defining the configuration in a simple, declarative syntax. This configuration is then used to create machine images for multiple environments and cloud providers.

The book begins by showing you how to create your first manifest while helping you understand the available components. You'll then configure the most common built-in builder options for Packer and use runtime provisioners to reconfigure a source image for desired tasks. You'll also learn how to control logging for troubleshooting errors in complex builds and explore monitoring options for multiple logs at once. As you advance, you'll build on your initial manifest for a local application that'll easily migrate to another builder or cloud. The chapters also help you get to grips with basic container image options in different formats while scaling large builds in production. Finally, you'll develop a life cycle and retention policy for images, automate packer builds, and protect your production environment from nefarious plugins.

By the end of this book, you'll be equipped to smoothen collaboration and reduce the risk of errors by creating machine images consistently and automatically based on your defined configuration.
What you will learn

Build and maintain consistent system images across multiple platforms
Create machine images that can be used in multiple environments
Write a spec for a local Packer virtual machine in JSON and HCL
Build a container image with Packer in different formats
Automate Packer with continuous delivery pipelines
Discover how to customize Packer by writing plugins

Who this book is for

This book is for DevOps engineers, Cloud engineers, and teams responsible for maintaining platform and application images for enterprise private, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments. Familiarity with operating systems and virtualization concepts, with or without using a cloud provider, is a prerequisite.
Table of Contents

Packer Fundamentals
Creating your first Manifest
Configuring Builders and Sources
The Power Provisioner
Logging and Troubleshooting
Working with Builders on the Manifest
Building an Image Hierarchy
Speeding up with Parallel Builds
Managing Image Lifecycle
Using HCP Packer
Automating Packer Builds
Developing Plugins