---
description: |
  Data sources allow data to be fetched for use in Packer configuration. Use of data sources
  allows a build to use information defined outside of Packer.
page_title: Data Sources
---

# Data Sources

Data sources let Packer fetch data to use in a template, including information defined outside of Packer.

Refer to the [`data`](/packer/docs/templates/hcl_templates/datasources) block documentation to learn more about working with data sources. The documentation also contains details about each type of data source.

-> **Note:** Data sources is a feature exclusively available to HCL2 templates included in Packer `v1.7.0` (and newer).