github.com/ratanraj/packer@v1.3.2/website/source/intro/getting-started/vagrant.html.md (about)

     1  ---
     2  layout: intro
     3  sidebar_current: intro-getting-started-vagrant
     4  page_title: Vagrant Boxes - Getting Started
     5  description: |-
     6    Packer also has the ability to take the results of a builder (such as an AMI
     7    or plain VMware image) and turn it into a Vagrant box.
     8  ---
     9  
    10  # Vagrant Boxes
    11  
    12  Packer also has the ability to take the results of a builder (such as an AMI or
    13  plain VMware image) and turn it into a [Vagrant](https://www.vagrantup.com) box.
    14  
    15  This is done using [post-processors](/docs/templates/post-processors.html).
    16  These take an artifact created by a previous builder or post-processor and
    17  transforms it into a new one. In the case of the Vagrant post-processor, it
    18  takes an artifact from a builder and transforms it into a Vagrant box file.
    19  
    20  Post-processors are a generally very useful concept. While the example on this
    21  getting-started page will be creating Vagrant images, post-processors have many
    22  interesting use cases. For example, you can write a post-processor to compress
    23  artifacts, upload them, test them, etc.
    24  
    25  Let's modify our template to use the Vagrant post-processor to turn our AWS AMI
    26  into a Vagrant box usable with the [vagrant-aws
    27  plugin](https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant-aws). If you followed along in the
    28  previous page and setup DigitalOcean, Packer can't currently make Vagrant boxes
    29  for DigitalOcean, but will be able to soon.
    30  
    31  ## Enabling the Post-Processor
    32  
    33  Post-processors are added in the `post-processors` section of a template, which
    34  we haven't created yet. Modify your `example.json` template and add the section.
    35  Your template should look like the following:
    36  
    37  ```json
    38  {
    39    "builders": ["..."],
    40    "provisioners": ["..."],
    41    "post-processors": ["vagrant"]
    42  }
    43  ```
    44  
    45  In this case, we're enabling a single post-processor named "vagrant". This
    46  post-processor is built-in to Packer and will create Vagrant boxes. You can
    47  always create [new post-processors](/docs/extending/custom-post-processors.html), however.
    48  The details on configuring post-processors is covered in the
    49  [post-processors](/docs/templates/post-processors.html) documentation.
    50  
    51  Validate the configuration using `packer validate`.
    52  
    53  ## Using the Post-Processor
    54  
    55  Just run a normal `packer build` and it will now use the post-processor. Since
    56  Packer can't currently make a Vagrant box for DigitalOcean anyway, I recommend
    57  passing the `-only=amazon-ebs` flag to `packer build` so it only builds the AMI.
    58  The command should look like the following:
    59  
    60  ```text
    61  $ packer build -only=amazon-ebs example.json
    62  ```
    63  
    64  As you watch the output, you'll notice at the end in the artifact listing that a
    65  Vagrant box was made (by default at `packer_aws.box` in the current directory).
    66  Success!
    67  
    68  But where did the Amazon EBS builder artifact go? When using post-processors,
    69  Vagrant removes intermediary artifacts since they're usually not wanted. Only
    70  the final artifact is preserved. This behavior can be changed, of course.
    71  Changing this behavior is covered [in the
    72  documentation](/docs/templates/post-processors.html).
    73  
    74  Typically when removing intermediary artifacts, the actual underlying files or
    75  resources of the artifact are also removed. For example, when building a VMware
    76  image, if you turn it into a Vagrant box, the files of the VMware image will be
    77  deleted since they were compressed into the Vagrant box. With creating AWS
    78  images, however, the AMI is kept around, since Vagrant needs it to function.