Feb 03 2020HashiCorp Packer 1.5 introduces two major new features: support for basic HCL2 templates and the ability to share special information between builders and provisioners, such as host IP and port for the build instance, with the goal of simplifying template and operations efforts. The new feature is considered a beta release due to some parts still requiring polishing. Users can now use HCL2 templates in place of single JSON templates, but JSON support will not be deprecated anytime soon. The new feature also enables users to inject specialized data into provisioners, allowing for more customized solutions. However, variables and variable interpolation are currently not working with HCL2, and the team plans to support these features soon. Additionally, Packer 1.5 includes some backwards incompatibilities, such as changes to the `clean_ami_name` template engine and the `ansible-local galaxycommand` option, but users can still use current build files without major issues unless they are using deprecated plugins or options. The team is excited to bring these new features to users and invites feedback on bugs and potential improvements.