Proxmox VE
An open-source server virtualisation management platform.
Proxmox Virtual Environment combines KVM virtual machines and LXC containers under a single web interface, with built-in clustering, live migration, and storage replication. The hypervisor is itself a Debian-based Linux distribution specialised for virtualisation: PVE is what you install on bare metal, and from then on you manage everything through Proxmox's own tooling.
Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, an Austrian company, develops Proxmox VE. The core software is AGPL-3.0, free to download and self-host with no functional limitations; the company sells support subscriptions that include access to the enterprise update repository (with longer testing) and to the Proxmox Backup Server's enterprise repo.
Proxmox VE is widely used by self-hosters, small businesses, and mid-sized organisations as a free alternative to VMware ESXi. The 2024 changes to VMware's licensing under Broadcom's ownership accelerated migrations toward Proxmox considerably.
Install
Download the ISO from https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads Install on bare metal — Proxmox is its own Debian-based OS.
Authors
- Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH