Building a VM image with infrastructure tools using Packer

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Updated at May 7, 2025

Get your cloud ready
- Required paid resources
Set up your working environment
Prepare the image configuration
Build the image
Create a VM from the image
How to delete the resources you created

In Yandex Compute Cloud, you can create a VM disk image with additional infrastructure tools using Packer.

Use Packer to build a VM image based on Ubuntu Linux 20.04 LTS, with its parameters specified in a configuration file. Add these tools commonly used with Yandex Cloud, to the image:

Yandex Cloud CLI 0.91.0 or higher
Terraform 1.1.9
kubectl 1.23
Docker 20.10.16 or higher
Git 2.25.1 or higher
Helm 3.9.0
jq 1.6 or higher
tree 1.8.0 or higher
gRPCurl 1.8.6
Pulumi 3.33.2
tmux 3.0a or higher

Using Packer, you will create an auxiliary VM that will have the required software installed on it. Next, you will build an image based on its boot disk. After that, you will delete the auxiliary VM and boot disk.

Follow the same steps to create your own image with all required software.

To build an image and create a VM from it:

If you no longer need the resources you created, delete them.

Get your cloud ready

Navigate to the management console and log in to Yandex Cloud or register a new account.
On the Yandex Cloud Billing page, make sure you have a billing account linked and it has the ACTIVE or TRIAL_ACTIVE status. If you do not have a billing account, create one and link a cloud to it.

If you have an active billing account, you can navigate to the cloud page to create or select a folder for your infrastructure to operate in.

Learn more about clouds and folders.

Required paid resources

The cost of building a VM image and creating a VM from it includes:

Fee for storing built images (see Yandex Compute Cloud pricing).
Fee for VM computing resources (see Yandex Compute Cloud pricing).

Set up your working environment

Install Packer:
1. Download Packer and install it by following this guide on the Packer website.
  
  You can also download Packerfor your platform from this Yandex Cloud mirror.
2. After the download is complete, add the path to the directory with the executable to the PATH variable. To do this, run this command:
```
export PATH=$PATH:<Packer_executable_directory_path>
```
  Note
  
  Yandex Cloud requires Packer 1.5 or higher.

Configure the Yandex Compute Builder plugin:

Create a file named config.pkr.hcl with these contents:

packer {
  required_plugins {
    yandex = {
      version = ">= 1.1.2"
      source  = "github.com/hashicorp/yandex"
    }
  }
}

Install the plugin:

packer init <path_to_config.pkr.hcl>

Result:

Installed plugin github.com/hashicorp/yandex v1.1.2 in ...

Install the Yandex Cloud CLI and create a profile.

Get the info on the available subnets and availability zones. If you do not have any subnets, create one.

CLI

API

Run this command:

yc vpc subnet list

Result:

+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------+---------------+-----------------+
|          ID          |         NAME         |      NETWORK ID      | ROUTE TABLE ID |     ZONE      |      RANGE      |
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------+---------------+-----------------+
| b0c29k6anelk******** | intro2-ru-central1-d | enp45glgitd6******** |                | ru-central1-d | [10.130.0.0/24] |
| e2ltcj4urgpb******** | intro2-ru-central1-b | enp45glgitd6******** |                | ru-central1-b | [10.129.0.0/24] |
| e9bn57jvjnbu******** | intro2-ru-central1-a | enp45glgitd6******** |                | ru-central1-a | [10.128.0.0/24] |
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------------+---------------+-----------------+

From the ID column, save the ID of the subnet that will host the auxiliary VM for creating the image; from the ZONE column, save the appropriate availability zone. You will need these parameters later on.

Use the list REST API method for the Subnet resource or the SubnetService/List gRPC API call.

Specify the values of the variables required for building the image in the command line.
```
export YC_FOLDER_ID=$(yc config get folder-id)
export YC_ZONE="<availability_zone>"
export YC_SUBNET_ID="<subnet_ID>"
export YC_TOKEN=$(yc iam create-token)
```
Where:
- YC_FOLDER_ID: ID of the folder with the auxiliary VM used for creating the image. Its value gets populated automatically.
- YC_ZONE: Availability zone that will host the auxiliary VM used for creating the image and that you got earlier.
- YC_SUBNET_ID: ID of the subnet that will host the auxiliary VM used for creating the image and that you got earlier.
- YC_TOKEN: IAM token required for creating VM images; it also gets populated automatically.
Generate an SSH key pair. You will need these keys to create a VM and connect to it.

Prepare the image configuration

Create an HCL configuration file, such as toolbox.pkr.hcl.

In the configuration file, describe the image parameters:

# Yandex Cloud Toolbox VM Image based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
#
# Provisioner docs:
# https://www.packer.io/docs/builders/yandex
#

variable "YC_FOLDER_ID" {
  type = string
  default = env("YC_FOLDER_ID")
}

variable "YC_ZONE" {
  type = string
  default = env("YC_ZONE")
}

variable "YC_SUBNET_ID" {
  type = string
  default = env("YC_SUBNET_ID")
}

variable "TF_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "1.1.9"
}

variable "KCTL_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "1.23.0"
}

variable "HELM_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "3.9.0"
}

variable "GRPCURL_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "1.8.6"
}

variable "GOLANG_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "1.17.2"
}

variable "PULUMI_VER" {
  type = string
  default = "3.33.2"
}

source "yandex" "yc-toolbox" {
  folder_id           = "${var.YC_FOLDER_ID}"
  source_image_family = "ubuntu-2004-lts"
  ssh_username        = "ubuntu"
  use_ipv4_nat        = "true"
  image_description   = "Yandex Cloud Ubuntu Toolbox image"
  image_family        = "my-images"
  image_name          = "yc-toolbox"
  subnet_id           = "${var.YC_SUBNET_ID}"
  disk_type           = "network-hdd"
  zone                = "${var.YC_ZONE}"
}

build {
  sources = ["source.yandex.yc-toolbox"]

  provisioner "shell" {
    inline = [
      # Global Ubuntu things
      "sudo apt-get update",
      "echo 'debconf debconf/frontend select Noninteractive' | sudo debconf-set-selections",
      "sudo apt-get install -y unzip python3-pip python3.8-venv",

      # Yandex Cloud CLI tool
      "curl --silent --remote-name https://storage.yandexcloud.net/yandexcloud-yc/install.sh",
      "chmod u+x install.sh",
      "sudo ./install.sh -a -i /usr/local/ 2>/dev/null",
      "rm -rf install.sh",
      "sudo sed -i '$ a source /usr/local/completion.bash.inc' /etc/profile",
  
      # Docker
      "curl --fail --silent --show-error --location https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-keyring.gpg",
      "echo \"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable\" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null",
      "sudo apt-get update",
      "sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce containerd.io",
      "sudo usermod -aG docker $USER",
      "sudo chmod 666 /var/run/docker.sock",
      "sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash -G docker yc-user",

      # Docker Artifacts
      "docker pull hello-world",
      "docker pull -q amazon/aws-cli",
      "docker pull -q golang:${var.GOLANG_VER}",

      # Terraform (classic way)
      #"curl --fail --silent --show-error --location https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-keyring.gpg",
      #"echo \"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-keyring.gpg] https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main\" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hashicorp.list > /dev/null",
      #"sudo apt-get update",
      #"sudo apt-get install -y terraform",
      #
      # Alternative Option
      "curl --silent --location https://hashicorp-releases.yandexcloud.net/terraform/${var.TF_VER}/terraform_${var.TF_VER}_linux_amd64.zip --output terraform.zip",
      "unzip terraform.zip",
      "sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 terraform /usr/local/bin/terraform",
      "rm -rf terraform terraform.zip",
      # Terraform configuration file ?
      #"cat <<EOF > ~/.terraformrc \n provider_installation { network_mirror { url = \"https://terraform-mirror.yandexcloud.net/\" include = [\"registry.terraform.io/*/*\"] } direct { exclude = [\"registry.terraform.io/*/*\"] } } \n EOF",

      # kubectl
      "curl --silent --location --remote-name https://dl.k8s.io/release/v${var.KCTL_VER}/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl",
      "sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl",
      "rm -rf kubectl",

      # Helm
      "curl --silent --show-error --location --remote-name https://get.helm.sh/helm-v${var.HELM_VER}-linux-amd64.tar.gz",
      "tar zxf helm-v${var.HELM_VER}-linux-amd64.tar.gz",
      "sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 linux-amd64/helm /usr/local/bin/helm",
      "rm -rf helm-v${var.HELM_VER}-linux-amd64.tar.gz",
      "rm -rf linux-amd64",
      # User can add own repo after login like this:
      # helm repo add stable https://charts.helm.sh/stable

      ## grpccurl
      "curl --silent --show-error --location --remote-name https://github.com/fullstorydev/grpcurl/releases/download/v${var.GRPCURL_VER}/grpcurl_${var.GRPCURL_VER}_linux_x86_64.tar.gz",
      "tar zxf grpcurl_${var.GRPCURL_VER}_linux_x86_64.tar.gz",
      "sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 grpcurl /usr/local/bin/grpcurl",
      "rm -rf grpcurl_${var.GRPCURL_VER}_linux_x86_64.tar.gz",
      "rm -rf grpcurl",

      # Pulumi
      "curl --silent --show-error --location --remote-name https://get.pulumi.com/releases/sdk/pulumi-v${var.PULUMI_VER}-linux-x64.tar.gz",
      "tar zxf pulumi-v${var.PULUMI_VER}-linux-x64.tar.gz",
      "sudo cp pulumi/* /usr/local/bin/",
      "rm -rf pulumi-v${var.PULUMI_VER}-linux-x64.tar.gz",
      "rm -rf pulumi",

      # Other packages
      "sudo apt-get install -y git jq tree tmux",

      # Clean
      "rm -rf .sudo_as_admin_successful",

      # Test - Check versions for installed components
      "echo '=== Tests Start ==='",
      "yc version",
      "terraform version",
      "docker version",
      "kubectl version --client=true",
      "helm version",
      "grpcurl --version",
      "git --version",
      "jq --version",
      "tree --version",
      "pulumi version",
      "echo '=== Tests End ==='"
    ]
  }
}

Warning

You cannot use both the provisioner "shell" and metadata parameters in the configuration file at the same time.

Build the image

In the command line, navigate to the configuration file directory.
```
cd <path_to_configuration_file_directory>
```
Make sure the image configuration file is correct using this command:
```
packer validate yc-toolbox.pkr.hcl
```
Where yc-toolbox.pkr.hcl is the configuration file name.

If the configuration is correct, you will get this message:
```
The configuration is valid.
```
Build the image with the command:
```
packer build yc-toolbox.pkr.hcl
```
Where yc-toolbox.pkr.hcl is the configuration file name.

After the image is built, you will get a notification message:

...
==> Builds finished. The artifacts of successful builds are:
--> yandex.yc-toolbox: A disk image was created: yc-toolbox (id: fd83j475posv********) with family name infra-images

Save the ID of the image you built (id). Use this ID to create a VM later.

Make sure you can see the image you built Yandex Cloud.

CLI

API

Run this command:

yc compute image list

Result:

+----------------------+------------+-----------+----------------------+--------+
|          ID          |    NAME    |  FAMILY   |     PRODUCT IDS      | STATUS |
+----------------------+------------+-----------+----------------------+--------+
| fd83j475posv******** | yc-toolbox | my-images | f2ek1vhoppg2******** | READY  |
+----------------------+------------+-----------+----------------------+--------+

Use the list REST API method for the Image resource or the ImageService/List gRPC API call.

Create a VM from the image

Specify the values of the variables required for creating your VM. To do this, run this command:
```
export VM_NAME="<VM_name>"
export YC_IMAGE_ID="<image_ID>"
export YC_SUBNET_ID="<subnet_ID>"
export YC_ZONE="<availability_zone>"
```
Where:
- VM_NAME: Name of the new VM.
- YC_IMAGE_ID: ID of the image to create the VM from. You got this ID earlier.
- YC_SUBNET_ID: ID of the subnet to host the VM. You got this ID earlier.
- YC_ZONE: Availability zone for the VM that you got earlier.
Create your VM from the image you built.
CLI

API
Run this command:
```
yc compute instance create \
  --name $VM_NAME \
  --hostname $VM_NAME \
  --zone=$YC_ZONE \
  --create-boot-disk size=20GB,image-id=$YC_IMAGE_ID \
  --cores=2 \
  --memory=8G \
  --core-fraction=100 \
  --network-interface subnet-id=$YC_SUBNET_ID,ipv4-address=auto,nat-ip-version=ipv4 \
  --ssh-key <path_to_public_part_of_SSH_key>
```
Where:
- --name: Name of the new VM.
- --hostname: VM host name.
- --zone: Availability zone.
- --create-boot-disk: Boot disk properties: size stands for size, and image-id, for the ID of the image being used.
- --cores: Number of vCPUs.
- --memory: Amount of RAM.
- --core-fraction: Basic vCPU performance in percentage.
- --network-interface: Network interface proterties, where subnet-id is the subnet ID, ipv4-address, the internal IPv4 address, and nat-ip-version, the IP specification for the egress NAT.
- --ssh-key: Public part of the SSH key.
The command outputs info on the VM you created. Save the VM's public IP address:
```
...
one_to_one_nat:
  address: 62.84.122.151
...
```
Learn more about creating a VM from a custom image.
Use the create REST API method for the Instance resource or the InstanceService/Create gRPC API call.

Connect to the VM over SSH:

ssh -i <path_to_private_part_of_SSH_key> yc-user@<VM_public_IP_address>

How to delete the resources you created

To stop paying for the resources you created:

Building a VM image with infrastructure tools using Packer

Get your cloud readyGet your cloud ready

Required paid resourcesRequired paid resources

Set up your working environmentSet up your working environment

Prepare the image configurationPrepare the image configuration

Build the imageBuild the image

Create a VM from the imageCreate a VM from the image

How to delete the resources you createdHow to delete the resources you created

Was the article helpful?

Get your cloud ready

Required paid resources

Set up your working environment

Prepare the image configuration

Build the image

Create a VM from the image

How to delete the resources you created