HashiCorp Packer is an open-source tool for creating identical machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. Packer is lightweight, runs on every major operating system, and is highly performant, creating parallel machine images for various platforms. The course begins with a detailed introduction to HashiCorp Packer and the problems it solves. It illustrates use cases and examples. We will then explore writing Packer templates using HCL2 (the new standard for Packer 1.7+). You will learn about different builders, using variables, provisioners, post-processors, and code organization. We will integrate automation pipelines, secret management, and terraform. We will advance to integrate HashiCorp Packer with other automation tools, such as HashiCorp Terraform, HashiCorp Vault, and GitLab CI/CD. Using Packer, we will build images on multiple public cloud platforms and VMware images. Upon completing the course, you can use HashiCorp Packer in your organization independently. You will use HCL2 to create your Packer templates and automate your machine images across multiple platforms—a critical skill to enabling automation in your environments. All resources are available at: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Automating-Image-Creation-with-HashiCorp-Packer-for-DevOps