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AWS Image Builder¶
What it is¶
AWS Image Builder is an AWS service for building, testing, and distributing machine images (AMIs). It provides an automated pipeline for creating golden images with built-in testing, lifecycle management, and distribution capabilities.
Key capabilities (as used by Slack)¶
- Lifecycle management: Old AMIs automatically cleaned up using lifecycle policies, reducing storage costs.
- SSM Parameter publishing: New images update an SSM parameter indicating the latest AMI per account — downstream pipelines read this to always build on the current base.
- Event-driven automation: Successful builds fire EventBridge events that can trigger downstream rebuilds via Lambda.
- Built-in testing: Temporary instances are launched to run validation tests before the AMI is published.
Why Slack chose it over Packer¶
Slack explicitly chose AWS Image Builder over HashiCorp Packer for building slack-zero because of these four built-in capabilities that Packer would require custom tooling to replicate (Source: sources/2026-07-14-slack-shipyard-next-generation-ec2-platform).
Seen in¶
- sources/2026-07-14-slack-shipyard-next-generation-ec2-platform — used for building the slack-zero golden base image; four capabilities explicitly listed as advantages over Packer.