Learning HashiCorp Packer

Course details

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. Packet standardizes the creation of machine images for cloud and on-premises environments, making the process less time-consuming and error-prone. In this course, instructor Chris O'Dell shows how to build Ubuntu images for environments like Amazon EC2, provision and debug the images with a configuration management tool like Ansible, and build hardened images that can withstand the latest attack vectors. Plus, learn how to build a Jenkins pipeline for Packer images to run automated builds from source control. Chris also provides challenge and solution videos for each chapter, so you can test your knowledge as you proceed through the course.

Topics include:
What is Packer?
Baking a website image for EC2
Provisioning with a configuration management tool
Debugging
Building hardened images
Building a pipeline for Packer images

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Stop manually creating images and start using Packer
02 - What you should know

1. Getting to Know Packer

03 - What is Packer
04 - Installing Packer
05 - The Packer workflow and components
06 - The Packer CLI
07 - Challenge - Inspect a Packer template
08 - Solution - Inspect a Packer template

2. Baking a Website Image for EC2

09 - Select an AWS AMI base
10 - Automate AWS AMI base build
11 - Using build variables
12 - Provision Hello World
13 - Provision a basic site
14 - Challenge - Provision a MariaDB server
15 - Solution - Provision a MariaDB server

3. Customization with a Config Management Tool

16 - Simplify provisioning with a config tool
17 - Use ansible to install the webserver
18 - Debugging
19 - Challenge - Use Ansible to provision the MariaDB server
20 - Solution - Use Ansible to provision the MariaDB server

4. Building Hardened Images

21 - Use Ansible modules to harden our image
22 - Baking a Jenkins image
23 - Challenge - Use Ansible to harden the MariaDB server
24 - Solution - Use Ansible to harden the MariaDB server

5. Building a Pipeline for Packer Image

25 - Validate Packer templates
26 - Create a manifest profile
27 - Testing
28 - CI pipeline
29 - Challenge - Make a pipeline for the MariaDB server
30 - Solution - Make a pipeline for the MariaDB server

Conclusion

31 - Next steps