--- description: | The `packer hcl2_upgrade` Packer command is used to transpile a JSON configuration template to it's formatted HCL2 counterpart. The command will return a zero exit status on success, and a non-zero exit status on failure. page_title: packer hcl2_upgrade - Commands sidebar_title: hcl2_upgrade --- -> **Note:** This command is Beta, and currently being improved upon; do not hesitate [opening a new issue](https://github.com/hashicorp/packer/issues/new/choose) if you find something wrong. # `hcl2_upgrade` Command The `packer hcl2_upgrade` Packer command is used to transpile a JSON configuration template to it's formatted HCL2 counterpart. The command will return a zero exit status on success, and a non-zero exit status on failure. Example usage: ```shell-session $ packer hcl2_upgrade my-template.json Successfully created my-template.json.pkr.hcl ``` ## Upgrading variables file From **v1.7.1**, the `hcl2_upgrade` command can upgrade a variables file. ```json { "variables": { "aws_region": null, "aws_secondary_region": "{{ env `AWS_DEFAULT_REGION` }}", "aws_secret_key": "", "aws_access_key": "", }, "sensitive-variables": [ "aws_secret_key", "aws_access_key", ] } ``` ```hcl variable "aws_access_key" { type = string default = "" sensitive = true } variable "aws_region" { type = string } variable "aws_secondary_region" { type = string default = "${env("AWS_DEFAULT_REGION")}" } variable "aws_secret_key" { type = string default = "" sensitive = true } ``` ## Go template functions `hcl2_upgrade` will do its best to transform your go _template calls_ to HCL2, here is the list of calls that should get transformed: - `` {{ user `my_var` }} `` becomes `${var.my_var}`. - `` {{ env `my_var` }} `` becomes `${var.my_var}`. Packer HCL2 supports environment variables through input variables. See [docs](/docs/templates/hcl_templates/variables#environment-variables) for more info. - `{{ timestamp }}` becomes `${local.timestamp}`, the local variable will be created for all generated files. - `` {{ build `ID` }} `` becomes `${build.ID}`. The rest of the calls should remain go template calls for now, this will be improved over time. -> **Note**: The `hcl2_upgrade` command does its best to transform template calls to their JSON counterpart, but it might fail. In that case the `hcl2_upgrade` command will simply output the local HCL2 block without transformation and with the error message in a comment. We are currently working on improving this part of the transformer. ## Options - `-output-file` - File where to put the hcl2 generated config. Defaults to JSON_TEMPLATE.pkr.hcl - `-with-annotations` - Adds helper annotations with information about the generated HCL2 blocks. ## User variables using other user variables Packer JSON recently started allowing using user variables from variables. In HCL2, input variables cannot use functions nor other variables and are virtually static, local variables must be used instead to craft more dynamic variables. For v1.7.0 and lower, `hcl2_upgrade` doesn't upgrade variables to local variables, and it is up to you to upgrade them manually. Upgrade to **v1.7.1** to let the command do it automatically for you. Here is an example of a local variable using a string input variables: ```hcl variable "foo" { default = "Hello," } variable "bar" { default = "World!" } locals { baz = "${var.foo} ${var.bar}" } ```