2013-06-08 16:47:59 -04:00
---
layout: "docs"
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
page_title: "Install Packer"
2014-10-20 16:47:30 -04:00
description: |-
Packer must first be installed on the machine you want to run it on. To make installation easy, Packer is distributed as a binary package for all supported platforms and architectures. This page will not cover how to compile Packer from source, as that is covered in the README and is only recommended for advanced users.
2013-06-08 16:47:59 -04:00
---
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
# Install Packer
2013-06-08 16:47:59 -04:00
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
Packer must first be installed on the machine you want to run it on.
2013-06-25 15:16:49 -04:00
To make installation easy, Packer is distributed as a [binary package ](/downloads.html )
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
for all supported platforms and architectures. This page will not cover how
to compile Packer from source, as that is covered in the
[README ](https://github.com/mitchellh/packer/blob/master/README.md ) and is only
recommended for advanced users.
## Installing Packer
2013-06-25 15:16:49 -04:00
To install packer, first find the [appropriate package ](/downloads.html )
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
for your system and download it. Packer is packaged as a "zip" file.
Next, unzip the downloaded package into a directory where Packer will be
installed. On Unix systems, `~/packer` or `/usr/local/packer` is generally good,
depending on whether you want to restrict the install to just your user
2013-07-03 05:55:25 -04:00
or install it system-wide. On Windows systems, you can put it wherever you'd
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
like.
After unzipping the package, the directory should contain a set of binary
programs, such as `packer` , `packer-build-amazon-ebs` , etc. The final step
to installation is to make sure the directory you installed Packer to
is on the PATH. See [this page ](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14637979/how-to-permanently-set-path-on-linux )
for instructions on setting the PATH on Linux and Mac.
[This page ](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1618280/where-can-i-set-path-to-make-exe-on-windows )
contains instructions for setting the PATH on Windows.
## Verifying the Installation
After installing Packer, verify the installation worked by opening
a new command prompt or console, and checking that `packer` is available:
2014-10-20 13:55:16 -04:00
```text
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
$ packer
usage: packer [--version] [--help] < command > [< args > ]
Available commands are:
build build image(s) from template
2014-10-20 13:55:16 -04:00
fix fixes templates from old versions of packer
2013-10-01 21:45:11 -04:00
inspect see components of a template
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
validate check that a template is valid
```
If you get an error that `packer` could not be found, then your PATH
environmental variable was not setup properly. Please go back and ensure
2013-06-30 16:22:32 -04:00
that your PATH variable contains the directory which has Packer installed.
2013-06-25 15:14:45 -04:00
Otherwise, Packer is installed and you're ready to go!
2013-08-03 19:44:30 -04:00
## Alternative Installation Methods
2013-08-07 18:32:09 -04:00
Installation from binary packages is currently the only officially supported
installation method. The binary packages are guaranteed to be the latest
available version and match the proper checksums. However, in addition to
the official binaries, there are other unofficial 3rd party methods of
installation managed by the Packer community:
2013-08-03 19:44:30 -04:00
### Homebrew
If you're using OS X and [Homebrew ](http://brew.sh ), you can install Packer by
2013-08-07 18:32:09 -04:00
adding the `binary` tap. Remember that this is updated by a 3rd party, so
it may not be the latest available version.
2013-08-03 19:44:30 -04:00
2014-10-20 13:55:16 -04:00
```text
2013-08-03 19:44:30 -04:00
$ brew tap homebrew/binary
$ brew install packer
```
2014-12-23 20:59:48 -05:00
### Chocolatey
If you're using Windows and [Chocolatey ](http://chocolatey.org ), you can install Packer from
Windows command line (cmd). Remember that this is updated by a 3rd party, so
it may not be the latest available version.
```text
$ choco install packer
```