Proxmox – Everything you need to know
What is Proxmox?
Proxmox® is a family of products offered by the Austrian company Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, founded in February 2005 in Vienna, by Martin and Dietmar Maurer. The company provides secure and reliable enterprise-class solutions for managing virtual servers, tools for backing up virtual environments, and protecting mail servers.
The Proxmox family consists of three key products:
- Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE or PVE)
- Proxmox Backup Server (Proxmox BS or PBS)
- Proxmox Mail Gateway (Proxmox MG or PMG)
Proxmox® is a legally registered trademark owned by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, registered in the European Union, the United States, and other countries.
Proxmox – price
All Proxmox products are distributed with a free of charge GNU AGPL v3 license and paid support from the manufacturer in the form of a subscription. The manufacturer provides subscriptions for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years. You can buy all types of subscriptions and comprehensive IT services from us - dcs.pl - a partner of Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH since 2005.
Prices of annual PVE subscriptions (net):
- COMMUNITY: €115 / year / CPU
- BASIC: €355 / year / CPU
- STANDARD: €530 / year / CPU
- PREMIUM: €1060 / year / CPU
Prices of annual PBS subscriptions (net):
- COMMUNITY: €540 / year / server
- BASIC: €1080 / year / server
- STANDARD: €2160 / year / server
- PREMIUM: €4320 / year / server
Prices of annual PMG subscriptions (net):
- COMMUNITY: €180 / year / host
- BASIC: €510 / year / host
- STANDARD: €1210 / year / host
- PREMIUM: €1800 / year / host
The manufacturer reserves the right to change prices. Ask us for details - contact details can be found at the bottom of the page.
What is Proxmox used for?
Proxmox products can be used in virtually unlimited applications, with the most popular uses including:
- IT service providers, ICT, and data centers – incredibly attractively priced systems for managing virtual environments in private clouds and on dedicated servers as well as systems for backing up virtual environments and protecting mail servers.
- Public administration – systems with controlled, secure access to resources, offering flexible and competitively priced support options.
- Educational institutions – virtualization of IT resources for students and staff, with data backup and secure email communication.
- Hosting companies – the ability to offer cost-effective hosting solutions in the form of VPS servers and the private cloud, with secure and controlled access to resources for authorized users.
Proxmox Virtual Environment
Proxmox Virtual Environment – the first and most important of the Proxmox products – with an open-source license that supports KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), QEMU (Quick EMUlator), and LXC (Linux Containers) technologies, enabling efficient management of virtual machines, containers, storage, networks, and HA clusters. It includes a built-in backup system, and thanks to the Proxmox Cluster file system (pmxcfs), machine configurations are automatically replicated across the cluster, simplifying management of large environments.
Proxmox VE uses various authentication methods, including Microsoft Active Directory, LDAP, Linux PAM, OpenID Connect, and it also includes a built-in Proxmox VE authentication server. The intuitive enterprise-class WEB-GUI interface allows for configuring and optimizing resources, reducing management costs, and saving administrators' time.
Hardware requirements for Proxmox Virtual Environment:
- Processor: x86_64 (Intel or AMD) with virtualization support (VT-x/AMD-V)
- RAM: Minimum 2 GB, recommended 8 GB+ for a larger number of virtual machines,
- Disk: SSD for optimal performance, RAID support recommended for higher reliability, and for ZFS or Ceph, hardware RAID is preferred to be avoided
- Network: 1 Gbps network card or faster
Important: System updates may have different system requirements, so be sure to review the full system requirements documentation on the manufacturer’s website.
Proxmox Backup Server
Proxmox Backup Server – the newest addition to the Proxmox family - with an open-source license, designed for creating and managing backups of virtual machines, containers, and physical servers. It supports an advanced backup mechanism with the transfer of incremental data from the client machine to the backup server using fixed or variable block sizes. Additionally, it supports data deduplication on the backup server, compression, and encryption, reducing the risk of data loss or theft. It utilizes the ultra-fast Zstandard data compression algorithm, which is known for its high compression ratio.
Proxmox BS allows for data encryption, ensuring information is only available to users with the appropriate decryption key. The built-in WEB-GUI interface provides fast and efficient management of backups.
Hardware requirements for Proxmox Backup Server:
- Processor: x86_64 (Intel or AMD), minimum 4-core
- RAM: Minimum 4 GB, recommended additional 1 GB per 1 TB of storage
- OS Disks: 32 GB, hardware RAID with battery backup (BBU) or redundant ZFS recommended
- Backup Disks: Recommended SSDs with high IOPS for random write operations, only enterprise-class SSDs
- Network: Recommended redundant network interfaces (NICs) with multi-GBit/s speeds
Proxmox Mail Gateway
Proxmox Mail Gateway – the final product in the Proxmox family – is open-source software and an advanced tool for email filtering, compatible with both open-source mail servers (Sendmail, Postfix, Qmail) and commercial servers (Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino). It effectively protects against spam, viruses, and trojans by utilizing multi-threaded anti-spam and antivirus engines.
Proxmox Mail Gateway analyzes messages at the SMTP layer, blocking spam before it even reaches the internal network, reducing over 85% of unwanted emails. Machine learning algorithms enhance the system's ability to detect threats, while the intuitive WEB-GUI interface simplifies email management and strengthens corporate email security.
Hardware requirements for Proxmox Mail Gateway:
- Processor: x86_64 (Intel or AMD); for virtual machines, enable the VT-x/AMD-V flag
- RAM: 4 GB
- Bootable CD-ROM: drive or USB boot support
- Monitor: resolution of 1024x768
- Network Interface: 1 Gbps Ethernet
- Disk: Minimum 8 GB
Supported web browsers
To manage Proxmox products using the WEB-GUI administration interface, use the latest versions of the following browsers:
- Firefox
- Chrome
- Edge
- Safari
Why use Proxmox
Proxmox products are designed primarily to ensure security, reliability, and high scalability of the infrastructure while offering ease of use and flexibility at optimal cost-efficiency. Thanks to a unified, clear, and intuitive WEB-GUI interface, administrators can quickly get up to speed, enabling efficient installation, configuration, and management of all Proxmox products, saving time and resources.
Proxmox vs. VMware – An attractive alternative
Proxmox VE is a fully mature, stable, high-performance, and cost-effective alternative to VMware products, especially following VMware's acquisition by Broadcom in 2023 and the introduction of new licensing terms for VMware products. Proxmox offers licensed access to the source code, increasing the solution’s flexibility and ensuring independence from the vendor.
Advantages of Proxmox VE:
- Proxmox VE supports a wide range of hardware solutions, ensuring compatibility with various operating systems and servers.
- Advanced features of Proxmox VE include HA cluster support, live migration, storage live migration, snapshots, replication, and built-in backup tools.
- Compared to other solutions (e.g., OpenStack), Proxmox VE is easier to manage and deploy.
- The Proxmox VE virtualization platform offers great flexibility in choosing access control methods, supporting various authentication methods such as Microsoft Active Directory, Linux PAM, OpenID Connect, LDAP, and the Proxmox VE authentication server.
- Proxmox provides high scalability and easy management of multiple servers from a single interface.
Proxmox – Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is Proxmox?
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Proxmox is a family of products, including Proxmox VE, an advanced and reliable server virtualization management platform. It integrates KVM/QEMU technologies for virtual machines and LXC for containers, providing a comprehensive virtualization solution. As an open-source software, Proxmox offers full control and flexibility, allowing users to manage and optimize their virtual IT environments with ease.
Is Proxmox free?
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Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH is committed to transparency — all Proxmox products are developed and distributed under the open-source GNU AGPLv3 license. Users can freely download and use Proxmox software for both personal and business purposes. They also have access to the source code and can participate in its ongoing development.
Does Proxmox offer technical support?
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Yes, Proxmox provides paid technical support through subscription packages, starting with a minimum commitment of one year. These subscriptions grant access to professional support in English, stable updates, and security patches. The level of support and pricing depends on the chosen subscription package. Feel free to contact us, and we’ll assist you in selecting the most suitable subscription for your needs.
Is Proxmox open source?
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Yes, all Proxmox products are developed and maintained as open-source solutions. They come with a free license, and you can opt to purchase technical support if needed.
How to install Proxmox?
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- Download the latest version of Proxmox VE from the official website.
- Create a bootable media – Use tools like Rufus or Balena Etcher to write the image to a USB drive.
- Run the installer – Plug the media into your server and boot from USB/DVD.
- Configure installation – Choose the target disk, set up the network, administrator password, and hostname.
- Finish installation – Once the installation is complete, the system will boot and be accessible via the web interface (WEB-GUI).
- Update the system – After installation, it’s recommended to update the packages and configure basic security settings.
What are the system requirements for Proxmox?
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The minimum system requirements for Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) are an x86_64 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and an SSD for optimal performance. For more detailed requirements, visit: Proxmox Requirements.
https://www.proxmox.com/en/products/proxmox-virtual-environment/requirements Proxmox vs. Hypervisor – What’s the difference?
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Proxmox VE is a hypervisor that supports both virtual machine (VM) virtualization using KVM/QEMU and container virtualization with LXC. A hypervisor is a software, hardware, or firmware solution that enables the running of multiple virtual machines on a single physical server.
Proxmox vs. OpenStack – Which should I choose?
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Proxmox VE is simpler to manage and deploy compared to OpenStack, making it an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses. OpenStack, on the other hand, is a more complex and resource-intensive solution, better suited for large organizations with advanced needs.
What are the advantages of Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)?
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Proxmox Backup Server is a solution within the Proxmox product family, designed to create backups for virtual machines, containers, and physical servers. It supports data compression, encryption, and deduplication, improving storage efficiency and enhancing data security. The web-based interface makes managing backups quick and efficient.
Does Proxmox support clustering (HA)?
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Yes, Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) supports High Availability (HA) clusters. This allows you to create highly available environments that automatically restore services in the event of a failure, ensuring continuous system operation.
Proxmox hosting – Is it a good choice?
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Proxmox, the technology built into Proxmox VE, is an excellent choice for hosting companies looking to offer VPS services and private cloud solutions. Its flexibility, scalability, and the absence of licensing costs (due to its open-source nature) make it a cost-effective solution for managing hosting infrastructure.
Proxmox test – How to test the system before deployment?
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All Proxmox products are available for free download from the official website, allowing you to test their functionality. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance on how to set up an environment to test each Proxmox product.
Does Proxmox support container virtualization (LXC)?
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Yes, Proxmox VE supports LXC (Linux Containers), a virtualization technology that allows you to run applications in isolated environments at the operating system level, without the need to create full virtual machines.
Proxmox – What is the price?
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All Proxmox products are available for free under an open-source license. However, Proxmox offers paid support through subscription plans. These plans include professional technical support, stable updates, and security patches. The price of the subscription depends on the selected plan, the number of servers, and for Proxmox VE, the number of processors.
Proxmox Implementation
We offer professional Proxmox deployment for businesses and institutions. Our team of specialists can handle system configuration, data migration, and IT environment optimization to ensure seamless integration.
Proxmox Training
For IT administrators, we provide training and consulting on managing and operating Proxmox solutions. Our training sessions will equip you with the skills to manage virtualization platforms and virtual machines, as well as configure networking, backups, and advanced high-availability cluster features.
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