What is HCP Packer?
HCP Packer is a cross cloud image gallery for Packer. It uses metadata to track machine images, iterations of those images, as well as the builds associated with them. Associate an ID with a preferred image, and then use it to dynamically update builds across your provisioning pipeline.
Manage artifacts across clouds
HCP Packer tracks all builds associated with every iteration of an image, regardless of which hypervisor or cloud the build is associated with.
Configure downstream builds
Use custom labels to track dependencies in builds that are due for upgrades or security patches.
Reduce manual work and errors
Dynamically assign a preferred iteration of an image to a channel, and then reference the channel name across other images and throughout deployments.
How it works
Generate custom metadata
Connect HCP Packer to your existing Packer pipeline with a few environment variables, define the metadata you’d like to track, and run packer build.
Start tracking images in minutes
HCP Packer will generate a bucket containing metadata about your image builds and their artifacts.
Track each version and its associated builds
Any time you ship a change to an image, HCP Packer saves an iteration, which is an immutable record of the build. Each iteration has an ID, and can be associated with multiple builds artifacts.
Automate image updates across environments
Pin your preferred image to a channel
Create a channel that describes the quality and stability of the build. Then associate the preferred iteration to that channel.
Automate build changes downstream
Reference this channel name to dynamically update base image across downstream images, and throughout provisioning pipelines.
Gain productivity through automation
