Vagrant files, *.box, are pre-configured Virtual Machines (VM) VM images, which when imported into HashiCorp’s Vagrant, allow for VMs to be interacted with via the command line.
You create, start, interact, stop, destroy VMs all without leaving the terminal. Think containers (Docker/Podman), but for VMs.

Previously we have been using HashiCorp’s Packer to generate our HashiCorp’s Vagrant images.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux has migrated from using HashiCorp Packer to DebOS for building Vagrant VM images. This change unifies their VM building process under a single system and eliminates the need for hypervisor-specific builds. The migration required addressing Vagrant base box requirements like fixed usernames, SSH keys, and sudo access. A compatibility issue with Windows Hyper-V was resolved through upstream contributions, requiring Vagrant v2.4.8 or higher for Kali 2025.2+.

Kali Vagrant Rebuilt: Out With Packer, In With DebOS