Packer is a versatile and powerful tool that streamlines the process of creating machine images by automating the provisioning, configuration, and deployment tasks across various platforms. It enables developers and operators to define machine image configurations as code, allowing for consistent and reproducible builds.

Features of Packer:

• Packer supports multiple platforms, including virtualization providers such as VMware, VirtualBox, and Hyper-V, as well as cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Packer enables infrastructure configurations to be expressed as code using JSON or HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language), allowing for version control, collaboration, and automation of machine image creation workflows.
• Packer promotes the concept of immutable infrastructure by generating machine images that are pre-configured and immutable, reducing configuration drift and ensuring consistency across environments.
• Packer supports parallelized builds, allowing users to optimize build times by provisioning multiple machine images simultaneously across different platforms and configurations.

Check packer version: packer --version

Disclaimer: Packer is an open-source software distributed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company. Packer is provided "as is," without any warranty, express or implied. Users utilize this software at their own risk. The developers and contributors to Packer hold no responsibility for any damages, losses, or consequences resulting from the use of this software. Users are advised to carefully review and comply with licensing terms and any applicable regulations while using Packer.