I'm diving into my homelab setup using Proxmox VE 9.1, and I'm looking to run several services like Home Assistant, Paperless-ngx, Nextcloud, Nginx Proxy Manager, and a Media Server (Plex/Jellyfin). I've been researching the best architecture and would like to validate my approach to ensure it's both maintainable and stable.
Here's my plan:
1. I want to create a dedicated VM for Home Assistant to take full advantage of its add-ons and simplify management.
2. For the other services, I'm considering running a single large VM (Debian 13) with Docker and Portainer, where all services like Paperless and Nextcloud will operate as Stacks within this VM.
My reasoning for not using LXCs includes:
- Simpler backup and restore processes.
- Improved isolation and security.
- Less complexity compared to running Docker inside unprivileged LXCs.
With this hybrid approach, is it still regarded as the gold standard or best practice? Or does the overhead of a full VM for Docker feel excessive compared to using native LXCs for each service these days? I appreciate any guidance as I'm just starting out!
6 Answers
Ultimately, it varies! If you’re new to this, I recommend experimenting with different configurations. Trying out various deployment methods will help you find the one that suits your needs best without any risk—you’ve got nothing to lose!
The concept of a 'gold standard' setup varies from person to person. Some folks prefer Docker within privileged LXCs, while others stick with dedicated LXCs for each service or VMs with Docker or Podman. Each option has its benefits and downsides depending on what you prioritize. For example, I prefer a container setup for Home Assistant because I like having control over updates and the OS environment.
I have Home Assistant set up using HAOS with Docker and Portainer in a VM. At some point, I’d like to try using Podman for my setups, but I also run a whisper service in an LXC because it needs GPU access for accuracy and performance.
I’ve had a tough time getting LXC to run a Docker instance natively on Proxmox. For me, using a dedicated Linux VM just makes everything easier to manage, backup, and use daily.
This setup sounds good to me. Keep in mind that Proxmox doesn’t fully support Docker on bare metal. If your main focus is just using Docker, you might skip Proxmox and just go for a regular Linux setup or use libvirt/virt-manager for your required VM. However, Proxmox is great if you want to run Home Assistant across multiple machines and need features like live migration. LXCs can reboot quickly, but VMs are a good choice for resource-intensive tasks.
For Home Assistant, I’d actually go with an LXC instead of a full VM. But when it comes to running Docker, using a VM is generally the better route—it gives you more flexibility and security.
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