diff --git a/packer/template.go b/packer/template.go
index 0e6b6150b..c08ab0cde 100644
--- a/packer/template.go
+++ b/packer/template.go
@@ -14,15 +14,16 @@ type rawTemplate struct {
 	Builders       []map[string]interface{}
 	Hooks          map[string][]string
 	Provisioners   []map[string]interface{}
-	PostProcessors []map[string]interface{} `json:"post-processors"`
+	PostProcessors []interface{} `json:"post-processors"`
 }
 
 // The Template struct represents a parsed template, parsed into the most
 // completed form it can be without additional processing by the caller.
 type Template struct {
-	Builders     map[string]rawBuilderConfig
-	Hooks        map[string][]string
-	Provisioners []rawProvisionerConfig
+	Builders       map[string]rawBuilderConfig
+	Hooks          map[string][]string
+	PostProcessors [][]rawPostProcessorConfig
+	Provisioners   []rawProvisionerConfig
 }
 
 // The rawBuilderConfig struct represents a raw, unprocessed builder
@@ -36,6 +37,14 @@ type rawBuilderConfig struct {
 	rawConfig interface{}
 }
 
+// rawPostProcessorConfig represents a raw, unprocessed post-processor
+// configuration. It contains the type of the post processor as well as the
+// raw configuration that is handed to the post-processor for it to process.
+type rawPostProcessorConfig struct {
+	Type      string
+	rawConfig interface{}
+}
+
 // rawProvisionerConfig represents a raw, unprocessed provisioner configuration.
 // It contains the type of the provisioner as well as the raw configuration
 // that is handed to the provisioner for it to process.
@@ -61,6 +70,7 @@ func ParseTemplate(data []byte) (t *Template, err error) {
 	t = &Template{}
 	t.Builders = make(map[string]rawBuilderConfig)
 	t.Hooks = rawTpl.Hooks
+	t.PostProcessors = make([][]rawPostProcessorConfig, len(rawTpl.PostProcessors))
 	t.Provisioners = make([]rawProvisionerConfig, len(rawTpl.Provisioners))
 
 	errors := make([]error, 0)
@@ -103,6 +113,43 @@ func ParseTemplate(data []byte) (t *Template, err error) {
 		t.Builders[raw.Name] = raw
 	}
 
+	// Gather all the post-processors. This is a complicated process since there
+	// are actually three different formats that the user can use to define
+	// a post-processor.
+	for i, rawV := range rawTpl.PostProcessors {
+		rawPP, err := parsePostProvisioner(i, rawV)
+		if err != nil {
+			errors = append(errors, err...)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		t.PostProcessors[i] = make([]rawPostProcessorConfig, len(rawPP))
+		configs := t.PostProcessors[i]
+		for j, pp := range rawPP {
+			var config rawPostProcessorConfig
+			if err := mapstructure.Decode(pp, &config); err != nil {
+				if merr, ok := err.(*mapstructure.Error); ok {
+					for _, err := range merr.Errors {
+						errors = append(errors, fmt.Errorf("Post-processor #%d.%d: %s", i+1, j+1, err))
+					}
+				} else {
+					errors = append(errors, fmt.Errorf("Post-processor %d.%d: %s", i+1, j+1, err))
+				}
+
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if config.Type == "" {
+				errors = append(errors, fmt.Errorf("Post-processor %d.%d: missing 'type'", i+1, j+1))
+				continue
+			}
+
+			config.rawConfig = pp
+
+			configs[j] = config
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Gather all the provisioners
 	for i, v := range rawTpl.Provisioners {
 		raw := &t.Provisioners[i]
@@ -135,6 +182,43 @@ func ParseTemplate(data []byte) (t *Template, err error) {
 	return
 }
 
+func parsePostProvisioner(i int, rawV interface{}) (result []map[string]interface{}, errors []error) {
+	switch v := rawV.(type) {
+	case string:
+		result = []map[string]interface{}{
+			{"type": v},
+		}
+	case map[string]interface{}:
+		result = []map[string]interface{}{v}
+	case []interface{}:
+		result = make([]map[string]interface{}, len(v))
+		errors = make([]error, 0)
+		for j, innerRawV := range v {
+			switch innerV := innerRawV.(type) {
+			case string:
+				result[j] = map[string]interface{}{"type": innerV}
+			case map[string]interface{}:
+				result[j] = innerV
+			case []interface{}:
+				errors = append(
+					errors,
+					fmt.Errorf("Post-processor %d.%d: sequences not allowed to be nested in sequences", i+1, j+1))
+			default:
+				errors = append(errors, fmt.Errorf("Post-processor %d.%d is in a bad format.", i+1, j+1))
+			}
+		}
+
+		if len(errors) == 0 {
+			errors = nil
+		}
+	default:
+		result = nil
+		errors = []error{fmt.Errorf("Post-processor %d is in a bad format.", i+1)}
+	}
+
+	return
+}
+
 // BuildNames returns a slice of the available names of builds that
 // this template represents.
 func (t *Template) BuildNames() []string {
diff --git a/packer/template_test.go b/packer/template_test.go
index f2297cfd5..3347d2bdc 100644
--- a/packer/template_test.go
+++ b/packer/template_test.go
@@ -28,8 +28,7 @@ func TestParseTemplate_Invalid(t *testing.T) {
 	// syntax error in the JSON.
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",,
-		"builders": []
+		"builders": [],
 	}
 	`
 
@@ -43,7 +42,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_BuilderWithoutType(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [{}]
 	}
 	`
@@ -57,7 +55,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_BuilderWithNonStringType(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [{
 			"type": 42
 		}]
@@ -73,7 +70,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_BuilderWithoutName(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"type": "amazon-ebs"
@@ -97,7 +93,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_BuilderWithName(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "bob",
@@ -122,7 +117,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_BuilderWithConflictingName(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "bob",
@@ -145,7 +139,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_Hooks(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 
 		"hooks": {
 			"event": ["foo", "bar"]
@@ -163,12 +156,65 @@ func TestParseTemplate_Hooks(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(hooks, []string{"foo", "bar"}, "hooks should be correct")
 }
 
+func TestParseTemplate_PostProcessors(t *testing.T) {
+	data := `
+	{
+		"post-processors": [
+			"simple",
+
+			{ "type": "detailed" },
+
+			[ "foo", { "type": "bar" } ]
+		]
+	}
+	`
+
+	tpl, err := ParseTemplate([]byte(data))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("error parsing: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(tpl.PostProcessors) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("bad number of post-processors: %d", len(tpl.PostProcessors))
+	}
+
+	pp := tpl.PostProcessors[0]
+	if len(pp) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong number of configs in simple: %d", len(pp))
+	}
+
+	if pp[0].Type != "simple" {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong type for simple: %s", pp[0].Type)
+	}
+
+	pp = tpl.PostProcessors[1]
+	if len(pp) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong number of configs in detailed: %d", len(pp))
+	}
+
+	if pp[0].Type != "detailed" {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong type for detailed: %s", pp[0].Type)
+	}
+
+	pp = tpl.PostProcessors[2]
+	if len(pp) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong number of configs for sequence: %d", len(pp))
+	}
+
+	if pp[0].Type != "foo" {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong type for sequence 0: %s", pp[0].Type)
+	}
+
+	if pp[1].Type != "bar" {
+		t.Fatalf("wrong type for sequence 1: %s", pp[1].Type)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestParseTemplate_ProvisionerWithoutType(t *testing.T) {
 	assert := asserts.NewTestingAsserts(t, true)
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"provisioners": [{}]
 	}
 	`
@@ -182,7 +228,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_ProvisionerWithNonStringType(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"provisioners": [{
 			"type": 42
 		}]
@@ -198,7 +243,6 @@ func TestParseTemplate_Provisioners(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"provisioners": [
 			{
 				"type": "shell"
@@ -220,7 +264,6 @@ func TestTemplate_BuildNames(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "bob",
@@ -247,7 +290,6 @@ func TestTemplate_BuildUnknown(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -270,7 +312,6 @@ func TestTemplate_BuildUnknownBuilder(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -295,7 +336,6 @@ func TestTemplate_Build_NilBuilderFunc(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -331,7 +371,6 @@ func TestTemplate_Build_NilProvisionerFunc(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -369,7 +408,6 @@ func TestTemplate_Build_NilProvisionerFunc_WithNoProvisioners(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -394,7 +432,6 @@ func TestTemplate_Build(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",
@@ -452,7 +489,6 @@ func TestTemplate_Build_ProvisionerOverride(t *testing.T) {
 
 	data := `
 	{
-		"name": "my-image",
 		"builders": [
 			{
 				"name": "test1",