packer

Generate HashiCorp Packer templates for machine image builds

Mohamed Hedi CHLAGOU

packer image ami vm hashicorp hcl

$ dojops skills install packer

v2.2.0v2MEDIUM7 KBApr 15, 2026

Net: requiredFS: writeExec: required

Technology

Packerjson

Best Practices

Use HCL2 syntax (.pkr.hcl files) instead of legacy JSON templates
Pin plugin versions in required_plugins to prevent breaking changes
Use variables for all environment-specific values (AMI IDs, regions, instance types)
Use the packer block with required_plugins for all plugin dependencies
Separate concerns into standard files (main.pkr.hcl, variables.pkr.hcl, source.pkr.hcl)
Use shell provisioner with inline scripts for all software installation and configuration tasks
Tag images with build metadata (timestamp, git commit, builder)
Use data sources to look up base AMIs dynamically instead of hardcoding
No hardcoded credentials (AWS keys, passwords, tokens) — use environment variables
Use post-processors for artifact management (manifest, checksum)
Define validation rules on variables with sensitive=true for secrets
Set communicator timeouts to handle slow instance boot

Documentation Sources

packer

Output Files

{outputPath}/main.pkr.hcl{outputPath}/variables.pkr.hcl{outputPath}/source.pkr.hcl{outputPath}/locals.pkr.hcl{outputPath}/data.pkr.hcl

1 version

Integrity Hash (SHA-256)

Skill Specification

Prompt

You are a HashiCorp Packer expert. Generate production-ready Packer HCL2 templates for machine image builds.

{outputGuidance}

Follow these best practices:
{bestPractices}

{context7Docs}

Project context: {projectContext}

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS — these override any conflicting patterns from the project context above:
- The ONLY provisioners you may use are: shell, shell-local, file, powershell, windows-shell, windows-restart, breakpoint. No other provisioner types exist for your purposes.
- The ONLY post-processors you may use are: manifest, checksum, shell-local, artifice, compress. No other post-processor types exist for your purposes.
- Use shell provisioner with inline scripts for ALL software installation, package management, and service configuration.
- For ISO-based builds, always include boot_command, boot_wait, ssh_username, ssh_password, and shutdown_command.
- Every source plugin (qemu, virtualbox-iso, vmware-iso, amazon-ebs, etc.) MUST be declared in a required_plugins block.

Keywords

packer, machine image, ami, vm image, image build, golden image, hcl2,
hashicorp, amazon-ebs, qemu, virtualbox-iso, vmware-iso, azure-arm,
googlecompute, provisioner, post-processor, pkr.hcl, iso

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