Linode Builder

Type: linode Artifact BuilderId: packer.linode

The linode Packer builder is able to create Linode Images for use with Linode. The builder takes a source image, runs any provisioning necessary on the image after launching it, then snapshots it into a reusable image. This reusable image can then be used as the foundation of new servers that are launched within Linode.

The builder does not manage images. Once it creates an image, it is up to you to use it or delete it.

Installation

To install this plugin using Packer v1.7.0 or later, copy and paste this code into your Packer configuration.

Then, run packer init.

packer {
  required_plugins {
    linode = {
      version = ">= 1.0.1"
      source  = "github.com/linode/linode"
    }
  }
}

Configuration Reference

There are many configuration options available for the builder. They are segmented below into two categories: required and optional parameters. Within each category, the available configuration keys are alphabetized.

In addition to the options listed here, a communicator can be configured for this builder. In addition to the options defined there, a private key file can also be supplied to override the typical auto-generated key:

ssh_private_key_file (string) - Path to a PEM encoded private key file to use to authenticate with SSH. The ~ can be used in path and will be expanded to the home directory of current user.

Required

linode_token (string) - The client TOKEN to use to access your account. Alternatively, you can set your token as an environment variable named LINODE_TOKEN. Saving the token in the environment or centralized vaults can reduce the risk of the token being leaked from the codebase.
image (string) - An Image ID to deploy the Disk from. Official Linode Images start with linode/, while user Images start with private/. See images for more information on the Images available for use. Examples are linode/debian9, linode/fedora28, linode/ubuntu18.04, linode/arch, and private/12345.
region (string) - The id of the region to launch the Linode instance in. Images are available in all regions, but there will be less delay when deploying from the region where the image was taken. See regions for more information on the available regions. Examples are us-east, us-central, us-west, ap-south, ca-east, ap-northeast, eu-central, and eu-west.
instance_type (string) - The Linode type defines the pricing, CPU, disk, and RAM specs of the instance. See instance types for more information on the available Linode instance types. Examples are g6-nanode-1, g6-standard-2, g6-highmem-16, and g6-dedicated-16.

Optional

authorized_keys (list) - Public SSH keys need to be appended to the Linode instance.
authorized_users (list) - Users whose SSH keys need to be appended to the Linode instance.
instance_label (string) - The name assigned to the Linode Instance.
instance_tags (list) - Tags to apply to the instance when it is created.
swap_size (int) - The disk size (MiB) allocated for swap space.
interface ([]{purpose string, label string, ipam_address string}) - Network Interfaces to add to this Linode’s Configuration Profile. Singular repeatable block containing a purpose, a label, and an ipam_address field.
image_label (string) - The name of the resulting image that will appear in your account. Defaults to packer-{{timestamp}} (see configuration templates for more info).
image_description (string) - The description of the resulting image that will appear in your account. Defaults to "".
state_timeout (string) - The time to wait, as a duration string, for the Linode instance to enter a desired state (such as "running") before timing out. The default state timeout is "5m".
image_create_timeout (string) - The time to wait, as a duration string, for the disk image to be created successfully before timing out. The default image creation timeout is "10m".
private_ip (bool) - If true, the created Linode will have private networking enabled and assigned a private IPv4 address.
root_pass (string) - The root password of the Linode instance for building the image. Please note that when you create a new Linode instance with a private image, you will be required to setup a new root password.

Examples

Basic Example

Here is a Linode builder example. The linode_token should be replaced with an actual Linode Personal Access Token or in the config file or the environmental variable, LINODE_TOKEN.


locals { timestamp = regex_replace(timestamp(), "[- TZ:]", "") }

source "linode" "example" {
  image             = "linode/debian11"
  image_description = "My Private Image"
  image_label       = "private-image-${local.timestamp}"
  instance_label    = "temporary-linode-${local.timestamp}"
  instance_type     = "g6-nanode-1"
  linode_token      = "YOUR API TOKEN"
  region            = "us-east"
  ssh_username      = "root"
}

build {
  sources = ["source.linode.example"]
}

{
  "source": {
    "linode": {
      "example": {
        "image": "linode/debian11",
        "linode_token": "YOUR API TOKEN",
        "region": "us-east",
        "instance_type": "g6-nanode-1",
        "instance_label": "temporary-linode-{{timestamp}}",
        "image_label": "private-image-{{timestamp}}",
        "image_description": "My Private Image",
        "ssh_username": "root"
      }
    }
  },
  "build": {
    "sources": [
      "source.linode.example"
    ]
  }
}

Complicated Example


locals { timestamp = regex_replace(timestamp(), "[- TZ:]", "") }

source "linode" "example" {
  image             = "linode/debian11"
  image_description = "My Private Image"
  image_label       = "private-image-${local.timestamp}"
  instance_label    = "temporary-linode-${local.timestamp}"
  instance_type     = "g6-nanode-1"
  linode_token      = "YOUR API TOKEN"
  region            = "us-east"
  ssh_username      = "root"
  private_ip        = true

  authorized_users  = ["your_authorized_username"]
  authorized_keys   = ["ssh-rsa AAAA_valid_public_ssh_key_123456785== user@their-computer"]
  stackscript_id    = 1177256
  stackscript_data  = {
    "test_key": "test_value_1"
  }

  interface {
    purpose       = "public"
    label         = ""
    ipam_address  = ""
  }

  interface {
    purpose       = "vlan"
    label         = "vlan-1"
    ipam_address  = "10.0.0.1/24"
  }

  interface {
    purpose       = "vlan"
    label         = "vlan-2"
    ipam_address  = "10.0.0.2/24"
  }
}

build {
  sources = ["source.linode.example"]
}

{
  "source": {
    "linode": {
      "example": {
        "image": "linode/debian11",
        "region": "us-southeast",
        "instance_type": "g6-nanode-1",
        "instance_label": "temporary-linode-{{timestamp}}",
        "private_ip": true,
        "image_label": "private-image-{{timestamp}}",
        "image_description": "My Private Image",
        "ssh_username": "root",
        "authorized_users": [
          "your_authorized_username"
        ],
        "authorized_keys": [
          "ssh-rsa AAAA_valid_public_ssh_key_123456785== user@their-computer"
        ],
        "stackscript_id": 123,
        "stackscript_data": {
          "test_data": "test_value"
        },
        "interface": [
          {
            "purpose": "public",
            "label": "",
            "ipam_address": ""
          },
          {
            "purpose": "vlan",
            "label": "vlan-1",
            "ipam_address": "10.0.0.1/24"
          },
          {
            "purpose": "vlan",
            "label": "vlan-2",
            "ipam_address": "10.0.0.2/24"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "build": {
    "sources": [
      "source.linode.example"
    ]
  }
}