github.com/rahart/packer@v0.12.2-0.20161229105310-282bb6ad370f/website/source/docs/installation.html.md (about)

     1  ---
     2  description: |
     3      Packer must first be installed on the machine you want to run it on. To make
     4      installation easy, Packer is distributed as a binary package for all supported
     5      platforms and architectures. This page will not cover how to compile Packer from
     6      source, as that is covered in the README and is only recommended for advanced
     7      users.
     8  layout: docs
     9  page_title: Install Packer
    10  ...
    11  
    12  # Install Packer
    13  
    14  Packer must first be installed on the machine you want to run it on. To make
    15  installation easy, Packer is distributed as a [binary package](/downloads.html)
    16  for all supported platforms and architectures. This page will not cover how to
    17  compile Packer from source, as that is covered in the
    18  [README](https://github.com/mitchellh/packer/blob/master/README.md) and is only
    19  recommended for advanced users.
    20  
    21  ## Installing Packer
    22  
    23  To install packer, first find the [appropriate package](/downloads.html) for
    24  your system and download it. Packer is packaged as a "zip" file.
    25  
    26  Next, unzip the downloaded package into a directory where Packer will be
    27  installed. On Unix systems, `~/packer` or `/usr/local/packer` is generally good,
    28  depending on whether you want to restrict the install to just your user or
    29  install it system-wide. On Windows systems, you can put it wherever you'd like.
    30  
    31  After unzipping the package, the directory should contain a single binary
    32  called `packer`. The final step to the
    33  installation is to make sure the directory you installed Packer to is on the
    34  PATH. See [this
    35  page](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14637979/how-to-permanently-set-path-on-linux)
    36  for instructions on setting the PATH on Linux and Mac. [This
    37  page](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1618280/where-can-i-set-path-to-make-exe-on-windows)
    38  contains instructions for setting the PATH on Windows.
    39  
    40  \~> **NOTE:** Packer is now distributed as a single binary. If you are upgrading from an older version, ensure to delete all the packer-* binary.
    41  
    42  ## Verifying the Installation
    43  
    44  After installing Packer, verify the installation worked by opening a new command
    45  prompt or console, and checking that `packer` is available:
    46  
    47  ``` {.text}
    48  $ packer
    49  usage: packer [--version] [--help] <command> [<args>]
    50  
    51  Available commands are:
    52      build        build image(s) from template
    53      fix          fixes templates from old versions of packer
    54      inspect      see components of a template
    55      validate     check that a template is valid
    56  ```
    57  
    58  If you get an error that `packer` could not be found, then your PATH
    59  environmental variable was not setup properly. Please go back and ensure that
    60  your PATH variable contains the directory which has Packer installed.
    61  
    62  Otherwise, Packer is installed and you're ready to go!
    63  
    64  ## Alternative Installation Methods
    65  
    66  Installation from binary packages is currently the only officially supported
    67  installation method. The binary packages are guaranteed to be the latest
    68  available version and match the proper checksums. However, in addition to the
    69  official binaries, there are other unofficial 3rd party methods of installation
    70  managed by the Packer community:
    71  
    72  ### Homebrew
    73  
    74  If you're using OS X and [Homebrew](http://brew.sh), you can install Packer:
    75  
    76  ``` {.text}
    77  $ brew install packer
    78  ```
    79  
    80  ### Chocolatey
    81  
    82  If you're using Windows and [Chocolatey](http://chocolatey.org), you can install
    83  Packer from Windows command line (cmd). Remember that this is updated by a 3rd
    84  party, so it may not be the latest available version.
    85  
    86  ``` {.text}
    87  $ choco install packer
    88  ```