Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Packer VS env0

Compare Packer VS env0 and see what are their differences

Packer logo Packer

Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

env0 logo env0

The Best Way to Manage Your Terraform and Infrastructure as Code Manage, deploy, scale, and control all your Terraform, Terragrunt, Pulumi, and related frameworks
  • Packer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15
  • env0 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-23

env0 provides an automated, collaborative remote-run workflows management for cloud deployments on Terraform, Terragrunt and custom flows. env0 enables users and teams to jointly govern cloud deployments with self-service capabilities. env0 provides you visibility into GitOps workflows of infrastructure changes. Leverage our granular RBAC permissions and limit access to IaC execution (e.g "terraform apply"), on production and other critical cloud resources.

Packer

Website
packer.io
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

env0

Website
env0.com
$ Details
paid Free Trial $349.0 / Monthly (10 Users, 100 Deployments.)
Platforms
AWS Azure GCP Slack Microsoft Teams
Release Date
2020 July

Packer features and specs

  • Multi-Provider Support
    Packer supports a wide variety of providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware, and more. This allows for flexibility and the ability to create machine images across different environments.
  • Automation
    Packer automates the creation of machine images, eliminating the need for manual image configuration and reducing the potential for human error.
  • Script Reusability
    Packer allows for the reuse of scripts and configuration files, enabling a consistent and repeatable process for image creation.
  • Parallel Builds
    Packer can build multiple images in parallel, which can significantly speed up the provisioning process.
  • Idempotency
    Packer ensures that the output machine image is always an identical result given the same input configuration, reducing the risk of inconsistencies.

Possible disadvantages of Packer

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The variety of features and flexibility that Packer offers can make it complex and challenging to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Packer's debugging tools are not as mature or as integrated as those found in some other DevOps tools, making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Complex configurations with multiple builders and provisioners can become hard to manage and maintain, leading to potential errors.
  • No State Management
    Unlike Terraform, Packer does not manage state, which means users need to handle state management separately if required.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Packer often relies on external scripts and tools for provisioning, which can introduce additional dependencies and complexities.

env0 features and specs

  • Apply on Push/Merge
  • Drift Detection and management
  • Plan and Apply from PR comments
  • Granular RBAC and OPA
  • Support for complex environments
  • Friendly, easy-to-consume UI
  • Cost management and estimation
  • Deployment TTL control
  • Self-service
  • Log forwarding

Analysis of Packer

Overall verdict

  • Packer is a valuable tool for organizations looking to streamline their image building process and maintain consistency across different environments. Its flexibility and wide range of features make it a strong asset in infrastructure automation and DevOps pipelines.

Why this product is good

  • Packer is considered a good tool because it automates the creation of machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. This efficiency reduces errors and speeds up the deployment process. Packer is highly versatile and integrates well with various configuration management tools, broadening its applicability across different environments. It also supports multiple cloud providers, making it a great choice for multi-cloud strategies.

Recommended for

  • DevOps teams
  • Cloud infrastructure engineers
  • Organizations using multi-cloud strategies
  • Teams seeking automated and consistent image building processes
  • Developers looking to integrate infrastructure as code practices

Packer videos

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env0 videos

Infrastructure as Code Automation

More videos:

  • Review - env0 the Self-Service Cloud Management Platform for Infrastructure - About Us
  • Review - Automating Kubernetes clusters with env0
  • Review - Terraform tools review - env0 - Automated provisioning of Terraform workflows (Ep 40)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Packer and env0)
DevOps Tools
87 87%
13% 13
Infrastructure As Code
0 0%
100% 100
Continuous Integration And Delivery
Developer Tools
67 67%
33% 33

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Packer and env0

Packer Reviews

Introduction to Top Open Source Virtualization Tools
Packer is notably light, high performing, and operates on every major operating system. It assembles and configures all the necessary components for a virtual machine then creates images that run on multiple platforms. Packer doesn’t replace configuration management tools like Puppet or Chef; as a matter of fact, when creating images, Packer can utilize tools like Puppet or...

env0 Reviews

We have no reviews of env0 yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

env0 might be a bit more popular than Packer. We know about 12 links to it since March 2021 and only 9 links to Packer. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Packer mentions (9)

  • Failed to connect to the host via SSH on Ubuntu 22.04
    If you have just upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04, and you suddenly experience either errors when trying to ssh into hosts, or when running ansible or again when running the ansible provisioner building a packer image, this is probably going to be useful for you. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Create a minimalist OS using Docker Containers and Hashicorp Packer
    I am already using Hashicorp Packer at work and for personal projects and I wanted to test This idea out by wrapping it a single Packer Template file. This reduces the level of maintaining a lot of small scripts, Dockerfiles and configurations and the user can simply trigger a couple of Commands to get a minimalist OS at the end of the process. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. The oligopoly has won.
    And while it is a slight increase in complexity, it can be an overall net gain in functionality, configurability and reliability. Much like Packer is far more reliable and practical than manually making VM images sitting in front of a terminal, even though making the initial configuration takes some time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Customized Ubuntu Images using Packer + QEMU + Cloud-Init & UEFI bootloading
    Hashicorp Packer provides a nice wrapper / abstraction over the QEMU in order to boot the image and use it to set it up on first-boot. Instead of writing really long commands in order to boot up the image using QEMU, Packer provided a nice Configuration Template in a more Readable fashion. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • The journey of sharing a wired USB printer over the network
    Packer seemed like the perfect tool for the job. I have never used it before and wanted to get familiar with the tool. It doesn't come with ARM support out of the box, but there are two community projects to fill that niche. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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env0 mentions (12)

  • Protect Secrets and Passwords with Ansible Vault: A Practical Guide with Examples
    Env0 includes native support for Ansible, enabling you to use your existing playbooks alongside its infrastructure lifecycle management capabilities. With Ansible templates, you can consistently deploy environments while leveraging env0's features like controlled access, cost estimation, and automated deployment flows. Learn more here. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Mastering Ansible Variables: Practical Guide with Examples
    Integrating Ansible with env0 revolutionizes infrastructure management by combining Ansible’s powerful automation capabilities with env0’s advanced orchestration and collaboration features. This integration simplifies workflows, reduces manual effort, and enhances governance. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • DORA Metrics: An Infrastructure as Code Perspective
    Env0 embodies this concept through five key pillars: self-service, governance, automation & orchestration, analytics & monitoring, and cloud asset management. These pillars collectively address the challenges of IaC adoption, ensuring infrastructure meets the needs of modern development teams. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Terraform Refresh Command: Guides, Examples and Best Practices
    With env0’s drift detection and cause analysis features, you do not need to worry about scheduling runs for plan or refresh to continuously monitor your infrastructure or identify potential drifts. Moreover, you will also have additional context to ensure that the drifts are reconciled without causing any unwanted cascading issues across your cloud infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Terraform Backend Configuration: Local and Remote Options
    Env0 provides a remote backend  to facilitate secure and streamlined team collaboration, which creates a foundation for a unified deployment process across the organization and enables many other governance, automation, and visibility features. . - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Packer and env0, you can also consider the following products

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

Spacelift.io - Collaborative Infrastructure For Modern Software Teams

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Scalr - Scalr is cloud management software for public & private infrastructure

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

CloudBolt - CloudBolt’s hybrid cloud management platform enables enterprise IT departments to efficiently build, deploy, and manage private and public clouds.