github.com/ratanraj/packer@v1.3.2/website/source/docs/commands/inspect.html.md (about)

     1  ---
     2  description: |
     3      The `packer inspect` command takes a template and outputs the various
     4      components a template defines. This can help you quickly learn about a
     5      template without having to dive into the JSON itself. The command will tell
     6      you things like what variables a template accepts, the builders it defines,
     7      the provisioners it defines and the order they'll run, and more.
     8  layout: docs
     9  page_title: 'packer inspect - Commands'
    10  sidebar_current: 'docs-commands-inspect'
    11  ---
    12  
    13  # `inspect` Command
    14  
    15  The `packer inspect` command takes a template and outputs the various components
    16  a template defines. This can help you quickly learn about a template without
    17  having to dive into the JSON itself. The command will tell you things like what
    18  variables a template accepts, the builders it defines, the provisioners it
    19  defines and the order they'll run, and more.
    20  
    21  This command is extra useful when used with
    22  [machine-readable output](/docs/commands/index.html) enabled. The
    23  command outputs the components in a way that is parseable by machines.
    24  
    25  The command doesn't validate the actual configuration of the various components
    26  (that is what the `validate` command is for), but it will validate the syntax of
    27  your template by necessity.
    28  
    29  ## Usage Example
    30  
    31  Given a basic template, here is an example of what the output might look like:
    32  
    33  ``` text
    34  $ packer inspect template.json
    35  Variables and their defaults:
    36  
    37    aws_access_key =
    38    aws_secret_key =
    39  
    40  Builders:
    41  
    42    amazon-ebs
    43    amazon-instance
    44    virtualbox-iso
    45  
    46  Provisioners:
    47  
    48    shell
    49  ```