Learning HashiCorp Packer

Learn how to use Packer, a popular DevOps tool for simplifying the creation of machine images, and implement a continuous development approach to changes in your software.

Introduction

• Stop manually creating images and start using Packer
• What you should know

1. Getting to Know Packer

• What is Packer?
• Installing Packer
• The Packer workflow and components
• The Packer CLI
• Challenge: Inspect a Packer template
• Solution: Inspect a Packer template

2. Baking a Website Image for EC2

• Select an AWS AMI base
• Automate AWS AMI base build
• Using build variables
• Provision Hello World
• Provision a basic site
• Challenge: Provision a MariaDB server
• Solution: Provision a MariaDB server

3. Customization with a Config Management Tool

• Simplify provisioning with a config tool
• Use ansible to install the webserver
• Debugging
• Challenge: Use Ansible to provision the MariaDB server
• Solution: Use Ansible to provision the MariaDB server

4.  Building Hardened Images

• Use Ansible modules to harden our image
• Baking a Jenkins image
• Challenge: Use Ansible to harden the MariaDB server
• Solution: Use Ansible to harden the MariaDB server

5.  Building a Pipeline for Packer Image

• Validate Packer templates
• Create a manifest profile
• Testing
• CI pipeline
• Challenge: Make a pipeline for the MariaDB server
• Solution: Make a pipeline for the MariaDB server

Conclusion

• Next steps