Packer

Packer 1.14.3 on openSUSE 15.6 with Free Maintenance Support by kCloudHubs.

This Azure Marketplace image provides a self-managed HashiCorp Packer environment for teams that build, harden, and version machine images across Microsoft Azure and multi-cloud environments. The image is packaged and validated by kCloudHubs to deliver a predictable and repeatable runtime for image pipeline automation on Azure Virtual Machines.

It is designed for engineering teams that require full control over image builds, security policies, CI/CD integrations, and artifact lifecycle management, rather than relying on hosted or managed build services.

What This Image Is (and What It Is Not)

• A ready-to-run Packer build workstation or pipeline node on Azure
• Fully self-managed within your Azure subscription
• Based on the upstream open-source HashiCorp Packer distribution
• Suitable for production-grade image pipeline workflows

This image is not a hosted build service or abstracted platform. You retain full access, operational responsibility, and complete flexibility over your image pipelines and artifacts.

Common Engineering Use Cases

• Building golden images for application, bastion, and database workloads
• Hardening OS images using CIS or organizational security baselines
• Creating pre-baked images for AKS worker nodes and container runtimes
• Producing immutable infrastructure artifacts for regulated environments
• Integrating image builds into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or Jenkins

Base System and Runtime

• Operating System: openSUSE 15.6
• Packer Binary: Latest stable upstream build
• Pre-installed CLI utilities required for image build workflows
• Supports SSH, WinRM, and cloud-init based provisioning

The image is intentionally kept close to upstream defaults, making it easy for engineers familiar with Packer to operate.

Deployment Model on Azure

• Runs entirely inside your Virtual Network
• Integrates with Managed Identities, NSGs, and Azure DNS
• Can operate as a single build node or part of a scalable build fleet
• Integrates cleanly with CI/CD runners and automation pipelines
• Supports image versioning, snapshot lifecycle, and managed image artifacts

Security and Control

• No external control plane; builds run entirely within your Azure account
• Supports encrypted disks and secure network boundaries
• Logs remain under your control using Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, or SIEM tools
• Suitable for regulated, air-gapped, and internal enterprise environments

Operations and Observability

• Compatible with Azure Monitor logging and metrics
• Supports snapshot-based rollback and environment cloning
• Stable and predictable runtime behavior across environments
• Designed for repeatable builds and drift-free image pipelines
• You control when updates and version changes are applied

Why Teams Choose kCloudHubs Images

• Built for engineers, not just installers
• Validated for consistency, repeatability, and reliability
• Designed to integrate seamlessly with real-world DevOps workflows
• Helps teams standardize images, reduce configuration drift, and accelerate delivery on Azure

Usage Instructions:

• Launch the virtual machine using the kCloudHubs Packer image on Microsoft Azure.
• Connect to your instance via SSH using the default user configured during VM creation.
• After logging in, run the following commands to verify the Packer installation:

sudo su
sudo zypper refresh
packer version

Disclaimer:
Packer is an open-source project developed by HashiCorp. This product is a repackaged open-source software offering with free maintenance support provided by kCloudHubs. kCloudHubs is not affiliated with or endorsed by HashiCorp. All trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.