Proxmox Virtual Environment: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Linux distribution for server virtualization}}

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{{Infobox OS

| name =

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| userland = [[GNU Core Utilities|GNU]]

| ui = Web-based

| license = [[GNU Affero General Public License|Affero General Public License]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Open_Source |title=Open Source – Proxmox VE |publisher=Proxmox Server Solutions |access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref>

| programmed in = [[Perl]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://git.proxmox.com/?p=pve-manager.git;a=tree |title=Proxmox Manager Git Tree |access-date=4 March 2019}}</ref> [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Proxmox VE Rust Git Tree |url=https://git.proxmox.com/?p=proxmox-perl-rs.git;a=tree |website=git.proxmox.com}}</ref>

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

'''Proxmox Virtual Environment''' ('''PVE''', or simply '''Proxmox''') is a [[virtualization]] platform designed for the provisioning of [[hyper-converged infrastructure]].

'''Proxmox Virtual Environment''' ('''Proxmox&nbsp;VE''' or '''PVE''') is a [[hyper-converged infrastructure]] [[open-source software]]. It is a hosted [[hypervisor]] that can run operating systems including Linux and Windows on x64 hardware. It is a [[Debian]]-based [[Linux distribution]] with a modified [[Ubuntu]] LTS kernel<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Proxmox_VE_Kernel|title=Proxmox VE Kernel - Proxmox VE|website=pve.proxmox.com|language=en|access-date=2017-05-26}}</ref> and allows deployment and management of [[virtual machine]]s and [[OS-level virtualization|containers]].<ref>{{cite book

|author=Simon M.C. Cheng

Proxmox allows deployment and management of [[virtual machine]]s and [[OS-level virtualization|containers]].<ref>{{ cite book | author = Simon M.C. Cheng | title = Proxmox High Availability | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PtskBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT41 | date = 31 October 2014 | publisher = Packt Publishing Ltd | isbn = 978-1-78398-089-5 | pages = 41– }}</ref><ref>{{ cite journal | last = Plura | first = Michael | date = July 2013 | title = Aus dem Nähkästchen | url = http://www.heise.de/ix/inhalt/2013/07/74/ | journal = IX Magazin | volume = 2013 | issue = 7 | pages = 74–77 | publisher = Heise Zeitschriften Verlag | access-date = July 20, 2015 }}</ref> It is based on a modified [[Ubuntu]] LTS kernel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Proxmox_VE_Kernel|title=Proxmox VE Kernel - Proxmox VE|website=pve.proxmox.com|language=en|access-date=2017-05-26}}</ref> Two types of virtualization are supported: container-based with [[LXC]] (starting from version 4.0 replacing [[OpenVZ]] used in version up to 3.4, included<ref>{{cite web |url=http://proxmox.com/en/news/press-releases/proxmox-ve-4-0-released |title=Proxmox VE 4.0 with Linux Containers (LXC) and new HA Manager released|date=11 December 2015 |work=Proxmox |access-date=12 December 2015}}</ref>), and full virtualization with [[Kernel-based Virtual Machine|KVM]].<ref name="zd2011">{{cite web |url= httphttps://www.zdnet.com/article/proxmox-the-ultimate-hypervisor/ |title=Proxmox: The Ultimate Hypervisor |date= July 11, 2011 |work= ZDNet |author=Ken Hess |access-date= September 29, 2021 }}</ref>

|title=Proxmox High Availability

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PtskBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT41

It includes a web-based management interface.<ref>Vervloesem, Koen. [http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/reviews/proxmox-ve-2-0-review-a-virtualisationvirtualization-server-for-any-situation "Proxmox VE 2.0 review – A virtualisationvirtualization server for any situation"], ''[[Linux User & Developer]]'', 11 April 2012. Retrieved on 16 July 2015.</ref><ref name="drilling">{{cite journal |last=Drilling |first=Thomas |date=May 2013 |title=Virtualization Control Room |url=http://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2013/150/Proxmox-VE |journal=Linux Pro Magazine |publisher=Linux New Media USA |access-date=July 17, 2015}}</ref> There is also a mobile application available for controlling PVE environments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proxmox Virtual Environment |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.proxmox.app.pve_flutter_frontend |website=Google Play |publisher=Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

|date=31 October 2014

|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd

Proxmox is released under the terms of the [[GNU Affero General Public License]], version 3.

|isbn=978-1-78398-089-5

|pages=41–}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Plura |first=Michael |date=July 2013 |title=Aus dem Nähkästchen |url=http://www.heise.de/ix/inhalt/2013/07/74/ |journal=IX Magazin |volume=2013 |issue=7 |pages=74–77 |publisher=Heise Zeitschriften Verlag |access-date=July 20, 2015}}</ref> Two types of virtualization are supported: container-based with [[LXC]] (starting from version 4.0 replacing [[OpenVZ]] used in version up to 3.4, included<ref>{{cite web |url=http://proxmox.com/en/news/press-releases/proxmox-ve-4-0-released |title=Proxmox VE 4.0 with Linux Containers (LXC) and new HA Manager released|date=11 December 2015 |work=Proxmox |access-date=12 December 2015}}</ref>), and full virtualization with [[Kernel-based Virtual Machine|KVM]].<ref name="zd2011">{{cite web |url= http://www.zdnet.com/article/proxmox-the-ultimate-hypervisor/ |title=Proxmox: The Ultimate Hypervisor |date= July 11, 2011 |work= ZDNet |author=Ken Hess |access-date= September 29, 2021 }}</ref>

It includes a web-based management interface.<ref>Vervloesem, Koen. [http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/reviews/proxmox-ve-2-0-review-a-virtualisation-server-for-any-situation "Proxmox VE 2.0 review – A virtualisation server for any situation"], ''[[Linux User & Developer]]'', 11 April 2012. Retrieved on 16 July 2015.</ref><ref name="drilling">{{cite journal |last=Drilling |first=Thomas |date=May 2013 |title=Virtualization Control Room |url=http://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2013/150/Proxmox-VE |journal=Linux Pro Magazine |publisher=Linux New Media USA |access-date=July 17, 2015}}</ref> There is also a mobile application available for controlling PVE environments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proxmox Virtual Environment |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.proxmox.app.pve_flutter_frontend |website=Google Play |publisher=Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

== History ==

Development of Proxmox VE started in 2005 when Dietmar Maurer and Martin Maurer, two Linux developers, found outdiscovered OpenVZ had no backup tool and noor management GUI. KVM was also appearing at the same time in Linux, and was added shortly afterwards.<ref name="lwn">{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/375930/|title=Proxmox VE 1.5: combining KVM and OpenVZ|publisher=Linux Weekly News|access-date=2015-04-10}}</ref>

The first public release took place in April 2008. It supported container and full virtualization, managed with a web-based user interface similar to other commercial offerings.<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://www.zdnet.com/article/happy-5th-birthday-proxmox/|title=Happy 5th birthday, Proxmox |work=ZDNet |author=Ken Hess |date= April 15, 2013 |access-date= October 4, 2021 }}</ref>

==Features==

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It also integrates out-of-the-box-tools for configuring high availability between servers, software-defined storage, networking, and disaster recovery.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-ve/features|title=Features|website=www.proxmox.com|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref>

Proxmox VE supports [[live migration]] for guest machines between nodes in the scope of a single cluster, which allows smooth migration without interrupting their services.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rajvanshi |first1=Akash |title=Proxmox 101 |url=https://medium.com/devops-dudes/proxmox-101-8204eb154cd5 |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> Since PVE 7.3 there is an experimental feature for migration between unrelated nodes in different clusters.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to migrate VM from one PVE cluster to another |url=https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/how-to-migrate-vm-from-one-pve-cluster-to-another.68762/#post-516726 |website=Proxmox Forums |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

PVETo authenticate users to the web GUI, Proxmox can beuse integratedits withown internal authentication database, [[Pluggable authentication module|PAM]], [[OpenID|OIDC]], [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol|LDAP]] andor [[Active Directory]] servers.<ref name=proxmox-8-virtualizationhowto>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Brandon |title=Proxmox 8: New Features and Home Lab Upgrade Instructions |url=https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2023/06/proxmox-8-new-features-and-home-lab-upgrade-instructions/ |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> Multi-factor authentication is also available using [[Time-based one-time password|TOTP]], [[WebAuthn]], or [[YubiKey]] OTP.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Brandon |date=2024-03-22 |title=First 10 Steps I do on Proxmox in 2024 |url=https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2024/03/first-10-steps-i-do-on-proxmox-in-2024/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Virtualization Howto |language=en-US}}</ref>

Since PVE 8.1 there is a full [[Software-defined networking|Software-Defined Network]] (SDN) stack implemented and is compatible with [[Secure Boot]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Borisov |first1=Bobby |title=Proxmox VE 8.1 Introduces Secure Boot Compatibility |url=https://linuxiac.com/proxmox-ve-8-1-introduces-secure-boot-compatibility/ |website=Linuxiac |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>

Guest machinesmachine backupbackups can be done using the included standalone vzdump tool.<ref>{{cite web |title=Backup of a running container with vzdump|url=https://wiki.openvz.org/Backup_of_a_running_container_with_vzdump |website=OpenVZ Wiki |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> PVE can be also be integrated with a separate machine [[Proxmox Backup Server]] (PBS) using a web GUI,<ref>{{cite web |title=Getting Started With Proxmox Backup Server |url=https://ostechnix.com/getting-started-with-proxmox-backup-server/ |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref> or with textthe text-based Proxmox Backup Client application.<ref>{{cite web |title=How To Use Proxmox Backup Client To Backup Files In Linux |url=https://ostechnix.com/use-proxmox-backup-client-to-backup-files/ |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

Since PVE 8, along with the standard GUI installer, there's is a semi-graphic ([[Text-based User Interface|TUI]]) installer integrated into the ISO image.<ref name=proxmox-8-virtualizationhowto/> From PVE 8.2 it is possible to make automatic scripted installations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Lyle |title=Proxmox VE 8.2 Introduces VMware Import Wizard, Enhanced Backup Options, and Advanced GUI Features |url=https://www.storagereview.com/news/proxmox-ve-8-2-introduces-vmware-import-wizard-enhanced-backup-options-and-advanced-gui-features |website=StorageReview |access-date=24 April 2024}}</ref>

===High-availabilityAvailability clusterCluster===

Proxmox VE (PVE) can be clustered across multiple server nodes.<ref name="Ahmed2014">{{cite book

|author=Wasim Ahmedi

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|pages=99–}}</ref>

Since version 2.0, Proxmox VE offers a [[high availability]] option for clusters based on the [[Corosync Cluster Engine|Corosync]] communication stack. Starting from the PVE v.6.0, Corosync v.3.x is in use (not compatible with the earlier PVE versions). Individual virtual servers can be configured for high availability, using the built-inintegrated HA ha-manager.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://git.proxmox.com/?p=pve-ha-manager.git;a=summary|title=PVE HA Manager Source repository|access-date=2020-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/chapter-ha-manager.html#_how_it_works|title=Proxmox VE documentation: High Availability|access-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> If a Proxmox node becomes unavailable or fails, the virtual serversmachines can be automatically moved to another node and restarted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jaxlug.net/index.php/2014/07/16 |title=High Availability Virtualization using Proxmox VE and Ceph |publisher=Jacksonville Linux Users' Group |access-date=2017-12-15 |archive-date=2020-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130000142/https://www.jaxlug.net/index.php/2014/07/16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The database and [[Filesystem in Userspace|FUSE]]-based Proxmox Cluster filesystemfile system (pmxcfs<ref>{{cite web |title=Proxmox Cluster File System (pmxcfs) |url=https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/pve-admin-guide.html#chapter_pmxcfs |website=Proxmox VE Administration Guide |access-date=15 November 2022}}</ref>) makes it possible to perform the configuration of each cluster node via the Corosync communication stack with [[SQLite]] engine.<ref name="drilling" />

Another HA-related element in PVE is the distributed filesystemfile system [[Ceph (software)|Ceph]], which can be used as a shared storage for guest machines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ladyzhenskyi |first1=Pavel |title=Setting up a Proxmox VE cluster with Ceph shared storage |url=https://medium.com/@qwonkiwow/setting-up-a-proxmox-ve-cluster-with-ceph-shared-storage-e7a4f652f321 |website=Medium.com |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

There is also an independent tool available for rebalancing virtual machines and containers between nodes, called Prox Load Balancer (ProxLB).<ref name="proxlb">{{cite web |url=https://proxlb.de/ |title=ProxLB - The Prox Load Balancer for Proxmox |publisher=ProxLB |access-date=2 April 2025}}</ref>

===Virtual appliancesAppliances===

Another HA-related element in PVE is distributed filesystem [[Ceph (software)|Ceph]], which can be used as a shared storage for guest machines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ladyzhenskyi |first1=Pavel |title=Setting up a Proxmox VE cluster with Ceph shared storage |url=https://medium.com/@qwonkiwow/setting-up-a-proxmox-ve-cluster-with-ceph-shared-storage-e7a4f652f321 |website=Medium.com |access-date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

Proxmox VE has pre-packaged server [[software appliances]] which can be downloaded via the GUI.<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.zdnet.com/article/the-next-server-operating-system-you-buy-will-be-a-virtual-machine/ |title=The next server operating system you buy will be a virtual machine|date=15 October 2013 |website=ZDNET |access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref> via the GUI.

==Proxmox Datacenter Manager==

===Virtual appliances===

At the end of 2024 it was announced that new product is being developed - Proxmox Datacenter Manager (PDM). Its role is to aggregate management of multiple PVE clusters or hosts, possibly thousands. First release was labelled as alpha, with beta and stable versions expected in 2025.<ref>{{cite web |author1=t.lamprecht |title=Proxmox Datacenter Manager - First Alpha Release |url=https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/proxmox-datacenter-manager-first-alpha-release.159324/ |website=Proxmox forum |access-date=9 July 2025 |date=Dec 19, 2024}}</ref>

Proxmox VE has pre-packaged server [[software appliances]] which can be downloaded<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-next-server-operating-system-you-buy-will-be-a-virtual-machine/ |title=The next server operating system you buy will be a virtual machine|date=15 October 2013 |website=ZDNET |access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref> via the GUI.

==See also==

{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

{{Commons category|Proxmox Virtual Environment}}

* [[Comparison of platform virtualization software]]

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[[Category:Linux distributions]]

[[Category:Perl software]]

[[Category:Software using the GNU AGPLAffero licenseGeneral Public License]]