Packer v1.13 release notes

This page describes changes to Packer in v1.13. Refer to the Packer repository for information about all releases.

New features

This release includes the following updates.

Shell Provisioner Enhancement

The shell provisioner’s inline field now supports executing scripts directly, including those with their own shebang (#!) lines. This enhancement allows you to provide a full script as an inline command, enabling dynamic scripts via tools like templatefile.

New functions

As part of Packer 1.13, we have introduced below functions.

• sum: takes a list or set of numbers and returns the sum of those numbers..
• startswith: takes two values: a string to check and a prefix string. The function returns true if the string begins with that exact prefix.
• endswith: takes two values: a string to check and a suffix string. The function returns true if the first string ends with that exact suffix.

Packer fmt command to format multiple HCL files

Added the ability for the packer fmt command to format multiple HCL files at once. This enhancement allows users to format several files in a single command invocation.

Top-Level hcp_packer_registry Block Support

Added support for defining the hcp_packer_registry block at the top level of the Packer configuration. Enables improved management and referencing of HCP Packer registries directly in the root schema. Also added validation around the multiple hcp_packer_registry blocks at top level.

Bug fixes

Documentation Update

Updated the documentation to explicitly state that a trailing slash is required when uploading directories, regardless of the guest OS. This clarification is intended to ensure consistent behavior and prevent confusion, especially for Windows users.

--use-sequential-evaluation Flag Now Works in Packer Console

Fixed an issue where using the --use-sequential-evaluation flag with packer console resulted in an error. The flag is now properly included in the supported options for packer console and works as intended. Removed this flag from the fix subcommand, where it was not used or required.

Inline PowerShell Command

Added a wrapper around inline PowerShell commands executed by the provisioner to catch errors and ensure the Packer build fails if any command results in an error.

Preserve the user-defined order of variable files

Ensures that Packer now preserves the user-defined order of variable files as input by the user. This change maintains the intended precedence of variables, honoring the order specified on the command line.