Why Proxmox?
Proxmox is a newer addition to my stack at KnausDev — I’ve been running it since last year in my own homelab. It gives me a proper virtualization layer to run multiple isolated services, test operating system configurations, and validate application setups before they touch anything in production. Nothing reaches a client’s Hetzner machine or a live environment without being tested here first.
How I Use It
I’m running a 3-node Proxmox cluster (Knaus-homelab) at KnausDev with VMs spread across the nodes for different workloads.
What runs on Proxmox
- Self-hosted services: Nextcloud, Gitea, and monitoring running as dedicated VMs
- Media server: Jellyfin media server on its own node for streaming
- Home automation: Home Assistant instance for smart home control
- Client isolation: when I need to access a client’s files over VPN, I spin up a dedicated VM, tunnel the connection over SSH, and work entirely within that environment. Their data never touches my machine, and when the contract ends the VM gets deleted cleanly
- Testing environments: VMs for validating Docker deployments, NixOS configurations, and infrastructure changes before production
- HA setup: high availability configuration across the cluster for failover testing
- Network simulation: when I needed to learn IPv6, I simulated an entire network within Proxmox. Same approach for LDAP — spun up 3 machines and learned the configuration hands-on
- Experimentation: spinning up disposable VMs to test new tools, distros, and architectures without risk
Why isolation matters
I don’t like anything I don’t control running on my own device. Proxmox gives me a clean boundary. I can collaborate with teams without polluting my machine, client data stays contained in its own VM, and teardown is as simple as deleting the instance. The cluster setup also means I can live-migrate VMs between nodes, test failover scenarios, and keep services running even when performing maintenance on individual machines.
Status
Active: homelab virtualization platform for self-hosted services, client isolation, and learning.