Packer is a computer software tool used by software developers to create customized software installers for multiple platforms on a single machine. It uses a platform independent configuration file (known as a “packer file”) to define the characteristics of the software installer to be created. The Packer file is then used to automatically generate the necessary files for deployment on each platform. Packer is written in the Go programming language and is open source software under the MIT License.
Packer can create self-contained and platform-specific installers from pre-defined templates. It supports a variety of popular operating systems and cloud platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, Linux, OpenStack, Azure, and AWS. It provides a command line tool and a graphical user interface for creating installers. It also includes support for multiple formats such as msi, dmg, zip, and rpm. Packer also supports multiple languages such as JSON, shell scripts, and Powershell.
The benefits of using Packer include increased automation, improved reproducibility, and portability for software deployment. This tool is particularly useful for reduction of labor and risk in the software release process. By creating customized installers for each platform, Packer allows developers to manage multiple release pipelines on a single machine.
Packer is used in a variety of industries such as health care, finance, gaming, and educational institutions. It also allows software developers to create custom installers for specific platforms, rather than relying on a predefined template.
Overall, Packer provides developers with an efficient way to deploy software across multiple platforms, without having to manually create separate installers for each platform. It offers a great degree of flexibility and customizability, allowing developers to create installers that are tailored to their specific needs.
