Proxmox at home: first steps after installation
Proxmox VE is free, stable, and turns a single computer into a whole homelab: virtual machines, containers, a NAS, Home Assistant or a game server. Right after installation, though, it’s worth taking a few steps before you start deploying services on it.
1. No-subscription repositories
A fresh install has the paid (enterprise) repository enabled, so apt update fails with a 401 error. For home use, disable it and enable the pve-no-subscription repository instead.
In Proxmox 9 the repositories live in .sources files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. In pve-enterprise.sources (and likewise in ceph.sources if you don’t use Ceph) add the line:
Enabled: no
and create /etc/apt/sources.list.d/proxmox.sources:
Types: deb
URIs: http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve
Suites: trixie
Components: pve-no-subscription
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-archive-keyring.gpg
You can do the same by clicking through the web interface under Node → Updates → Repositories.
2. Updates
apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade
Use dist-upgrade, not just upgrade. Proxmox updates often add or replace packages, and a plain upgrade would skip them. Reboot after a kernel update.
3. Storage
If you have two identical drives, a ZFS mirror chosen right at installation is ideal: when one drive dies, your data survives. Check the state of the pool with:
zpool status
Avoid putting VM data and backups on the same drive as the system if you can. You add a second drive under Datacenter → Storage.
4. Your first container
For most home services an LXC container is enough instead of a full virtual machine: it’s smaller, faster and starts in a few seconds. Download templates under local → CT Templates → Templates, or with these commands:
pveam update
pveam available --section system
pveam download local debian-13-standard_13.1-2_amd64.tar.zst
The exact template name changes between versions, so take it from the pveam available output. Then create the container with the Create CT button.
5. Backups
Set them up right away, while there’s nothing important on the server yet. Under Datacenter → Backup add a job that backs up all machines once a day to another drive or network storage. With more machines, a dedicated Proxmox Backup Server pays off: it deduplicates, so backups take up a fraction of the space.
A backup you’ve never tried to restore isn’t a backup. Every now and then, restore a test container and make sure it works.
6. Safe remote access
Never expose the web interface (port 8006) directly to the internet. For access from outside, use a VPN such as WireGuard or Tailscale. For logging in, enable two-factor authentication under Datacenter → Permissions → Two Factor.
Don’t want to deal with it yourself?
I deploy Proxmox at home and in businesses, including ZFS, backups, VPN and migrating existing services. If you get stuck or want a ready-made setup, get in touch.