Alibaba Cloud provides three automated methods to create custom ECS images: Image Builder, CloudOps Orchestration Service (OOS), and Packer. All three spin up a temporary ECS instance, apply your configuration, capture the image, and release the instance — making them well-suited for agile development pipelines and teams that need to keep images up to date without manual steps.
Choose a method
| Method | What it does for you | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Image Builder | Automates build validation so misconfigured images never reach production; supports Dockerfile syntax so you can reuse existing container build knowledge; provides a visual dashboard to monitor build progress | Teams familiar with Dockerfile commands who update images regularly |
| CloudOps Orchestration Service (OOS) | Provides ready-to-use official templates (such as ACS-ECS-UpdateImage) with no coding required; uses password-free logon for secure instance access; shows build progress on the YAML, JSON, or Graphical Template tab in the ECS console | Teams familiar with OOS template syntax who update images regularly |
| Packer | Open-source tool with broad cloud provider support; uses a JSON template (Packer generator) to define and run builds | Teams already using Packer across multiple cloud providers |
How it works
All three methods capture the system state and application data of an ECS instance at a specific point in time. The general workflow is:
Provision — A temporary ECS instance is automatically created from your configuration.
Customize — Your scripts, templates, or Dockerfile instructions are applied to the instance.
Create image — A custom image is captured from the configured instance.
Release — The temporary instance is automatically released after the image is created.
The specific steps vary by method:
Image Builder — Define your build configuration and submit the job. Image Builder provisions a temporary instance, applies your Dockerfile-based build instructions, validates the configuration, and saves the resulting image.
OOS — Select a public template such as ACS-ECS-UpdateImage, or create an O&M task template. Submit the task and monitor progress on the YAML, JSON, or Graphical Template tab of OOS in the ECS console.
Packer — Write a JSON template using the Packer generator. Run the template to have Packer provision, configure, and snapshot the temporary instance.
