Pves

PVE, or Proxmox Virtual Environment, is an open-source virtualization management platform designed to consolidate virtual machines, containers, and storage in a single system. It combines KVM-based full virtualization and LXC containerization with a web-based user interface, a REST API, and command-line tools, enabling centralized management of compute, network, and storage resources.

PVE runs as a Debian-based distribution and relies on the Linux kernel, QEMU/KVM for virtual machines, and LXC for containers. Key features include a centralized cluster manager for multiple nodes, high availability via clustering, live migration, and scheduled backups with snapshots. It supports diverse storage backends and configurations, such as local disks, NFS, iSCSI, ZFS, and Ceph, and offers software-defined networking with virtual bridges, VLANs, and firewall capabilities. The platform emphasizes simplicity and integration, providing template-based provisioning, backup scheduling, and monitoring within the same interface.

Licensing and editions follow a mixed model. The core is open source under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPLv3). Proxmox also offers enterprise repositories and commercial subscriptions that provide access to tested updates and official support; the community edition provides free access to the same features but uses non-enterprise repositories. This arrangement allows users—from home labs to small and large organizations—to deploy, manage, and scale virtual environments with a single toolset.

Use cases for PVE include hosting multiple VMs and containers on a single physical server, consolidating services, creating isolated testing environments, and building scalable private clouds. It competes with other virtualization platforms by combining VM and container virtualization with an integrated management stack in a single, open-source solution.