Packer Templates

This repository contains Packer-based templates for building reusable virtualization images.

Right now it only includes CT/LXC rootfs templates, but the plan is to add VM templates later (e.g., cloud-init ready images, golden images, etc.).

Why this exists

I had to install Docker in a lot of containers, over and over again, and I got tired of repeating the same steps.

So instead of doing it manually every time, I turned the process into a repeatable build that outputs a ready-to-use template artifact.

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What this repo does (today)

• Builds reusable templates for virtualization/container platforms
• Runs locally (no remote hypervisor required, no SSH)
• Produces .tar.zst artifacts for CT/LXC rootfs templates
• Keeps a cached copy of base templates under assets/

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Repository structure

• packer/ → all Packer builds
• packer/ct/ → CT/LXC templates (current / only type so far)
• packer/vm/ → VM templates (planned / to be added)

Each template folder is self-contained with:

• README.md
• template.pkr.hcl
• variables.pkr.hcl
• versions.pkr.hcl

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Current templates

1) Ubuntu 24.04 Docker (CT/LXC)

Path: packer/ct/ubuntu/24.04/docker

• Downloads the base Ubuntu 24.04 CT template (if missing)
• Installs Docker packages from Ubuntu repos:
  • docker.io
  • docker-buildx
  • docker compose tooling
• Enables Docker for boot (no systemctl start during build)
• Outputs a ready .tar.zst artifact

See details: packer/ct/ubuntu/24.04/docker/README.md

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Quick start

From the template directory:

cd packer/ct/ubuntu/24.04/docker
packer fmt .
packer validate .
sudo packer build template.pkr.hcl

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Thanks

Built with HashiCorp Packer — thanks to the Packer team and community.
https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer