Skip to main content

atmos packer

Packer

Use these subcommands to interact with HashiCorp Packer to build automated machine images.

Usage​

atmos packer <sub-command> <atmos-component> --stack <atmos-stack> [atmos-flags] -- [packer-options]
tip

For more details on the Packer commands and options, refer to Packer Commands.

Path-Based Component Resolution​

Atmos supports using filesystem paths instead of component names for convenience. This allows you to navigate to a component directory and use . to reference it:

# Navigate to component directory
cd components/packer/aws/bastion

# Use . to reference current directory
atmos packer validate . -s prod
atmos packer build . -s prod

This automatically resolves the path to the component name configured in your stack, eliminating the need to remember exact component names.

Supported path formats:

  • . - Current directory
  • ./component - Relative path from current directory
  • ../other-component - Relative path to sibling directory
  • /absolute/path/to/component - Absolute path

Requirements:

  • Must be inside a component directory under the configured base path
  • Must specify --stack flag
  • Component must exist in the specified stack configuration
  • The component path must resolve to a unique component name - If multiple components in the stack reference the same component path, you must use the unique component name instead of the path
Path Resolution Limitation

Path-based resolution only works when the component path resolves to a single unique component in the stack.

For example, if both bastion/prod and bastion/dev reference components/packer/aws/bastion:

cd components/packer/aws/bastion
atmos packer build . --stack prod  # ❌ Error: ambiguous - which component?

Instead, you must use the unique component names:

atmos packer build bastion/prod --stack prod  # ✓ Explicit and unambiguous
atmos packer build bastion/dev --stack dev    # ✓ Explicit and unambiguous

Atmos Flags​

--stack (alias -s)

Atmos stack.

--template (alias -t)(optional)

Packer template. It can be specified in the settings.packer.template section in the Atmos component manifest, or on the command line via the flag --template <template> (shorthand -t). The command line flag takes precedence over settings.packer.template.

--query (alias -q)(optional)

YQ expression to get sections and attributes from a Packer manifest. Used in the atmos packer output command.

Examples​

Component Name Examples​

atmos packer version

atmos packer validate aws/bastion --stack prod
atmos packer validate aws/bastion -s prod --template main.pkr.hcl
atmos packer validate aws/bastion -s nonprod -t main.nonprod.pkr.hcl

atmos packer inspect aws/bastion -s prod
atmos packer inspect aws/bastion -s prod --template main.pkr.hcl
atmos packer inspect aws/bastion -s nonprod -t main.nonprod.pkr.hcl

atmos packer init aws/bastion -s prod
atmos packer init aws/bastion -s prod --template main.pkr.hcl
atmos packer init aws/bastion -s nonprod -t main.nonprod.pkr.hcl

atmos packer build aws/bastion -s prod
atmos packer build aws/bastion -s prod --template main.pkr.hcl
atmos packer build aws/bastion -s nonprod -t main.nonprod.pkr.hcl

atmos packer output aws/bastion -s prod
atmos packer output aws/bastion -s prod --query '.builds[0].artifact_id'
atmos packer output aws/bastion -s prod -q '.builds[0].artifact_id | split(":")[1]'

Path-Based Examples​

# Navigate to component directory and use current directory
cd components/packer/aws/bastion
atmos packer validate . -s prod
atmos packer build . -s prod

# Use relative path from components/packer directory
cd components/packer
atmos packer init ./aws/bastion -s prod

# Use from project root with relative path
atmos packer build components/packer/aws/bastion -s prod

# Combine with other flags
cd components/packer/aws/bastion
atmos packer validate . -s prod --template main.pkr.hcl
atmos packer build . -s prod -t main.nonprod.pkr.hcl
atmos packer output . -s prod --query '.builds[0].artifact_id'

Configure Packer

Learn how to configure Packer components in your atmos.yaml, including templates and component settings.

Learn More

Arguments​

atmos-component (required)

Atmos component name or filesystem path.

Supports both:

  • Component names: aws/bastion, gcp/web-server
  • Filesystem paths: . (current directory), ./aws/bastion, components/packer/aws/bastion

When using paths, Atmos automatically resolves the path to the component name based on your stack configuration. See Path-Based Component Resolution above.

Subcommands​