Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is making another move. The Austrian company Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH has announced the immediate availability of Proxmox VE 9.1, the first maintenance release following the major jump to branch 9.0. This is no simple minor update: the new release strengthens three key areas in modern data centers — containers, virtual machine security, and software-defined networking — and solidifies the project as one of the most mature open source virtualization alternatives compared to proprietary solutions.
Version 9.1 arrives at a time when many companies and service providers are rethinking their infrastructure strategies: more hybrid clouds, increased workloads in containers, and greater pressure to cut costs without sacrificing flexibility. Proxmox VE, with over 1.6 million deployed hosts worldwide and a community of more than 225,000 active forum members, has become on the radar of sysadmins looking to escape “vendor lock-in” while retaining enterprise-level features.
LXC Containers from OCI Images: Direct Bridge to the Docker World
One of the standout announcements of Proxmox VE 9.1 is the native integration of OCI (Open Container Initiative) images as a base for creating LXC containers. Until now, admins mainly relied on specific Proxmox templates or prepared system images for LXC. With this new version, the hypervisor can download OCI images from standard registries or accept manually uploaded images and use them as templates.
Practically, this means that a container image used in CI/CD pipelines, microservices, or testing environments can almost seamlessly become an LXC container managed via Proxmox VE’s web interface. Depending on the image type, the system can provision containers as “full system containers” (closer to a lightweight VM) or as finely tuned application containers with minimal resource footprints.
For companies that already have container build workflows integrated into their development processes, this feature simplifies deploying standardized services—databases, APIs, internal applications—directly on the virtualization platform, without adding an orchestration layer if unnecessary.
Full Snapshots with vTPM: Greater Flexibility for Sensitive Loads
Security remains a core pillar in Proxmox VE 9.1. The update now allows storing the virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) state as a qcow2 disk image. Although seemingly technical, this change enables a highly demanded feature: taking complete snapshots of virtual machines using vTPM while maintaining a consistent state across various storage types, including NFS or CIFS.
Support is also extended for LVM environments with volume chains, allowing cold snapshots of VMs with vTPM. For Windows virtualization—where TPM is now a standard requirement in recent versions—this translates into much more flexible backup, testing, and restore operations without compromising TPM security features.
In contexts involving compliance, audits, or environments utilizing features like BitLocker, having consistent snapshots with the vTPM state reduces the risk of misconfigurations or incompatibilities.
Granular Control of Nested Virtualization
Nested virtualization, running hypervisors within virtual machines, has become common for labs, training, or testing new platforms. It’s also a requirement for certain Windows security features, such as Virtualization-based Security (VBS).
Proxmox VE 9.1 introduces a new vCPU flag that allows precise activation of virtualization extensions for specific VMs. Instead of exposing the entire physical CPU features (“host CPU passthrough”), administrators can enable only what’s necessary for nested virtualization scenarios.
This results in better performance control, improved compatibility, and reduces surprises in other VMs sharing the node, enabling fine-tuned setups, like hypervisor testing environments or advanced Windows security deployments.
More Transparent Software-Defined Networking
The complexity of modern networks—with multiple VLANs, tunnels, VXLAN, EVPN, and VRF—makes visibility as important as performance. In Proxmox VE 9.1, the SDN (Software-Defined Networking) stack gains an important observability layer integrated directly into the web interface.
The GUI now displays all connected guests to local bridges or VNets, along with detailed EVPN zone info, including IP and MAC addresses learned. Fabrics are now part of the resource tree, showing routes, neighbors, and interfaces at a glance. Key elements like IP-VRF and MAC-VRF are also exposed in the GUI.
This enhancement means for large clusters that troubleshooting depends less on CLI and offers a more intuitive way to monitor complex topologies or quickly spot misconfigurations between nodes.
Updated Base with Debian 13.2 & Kernel 6.17.2 for Modern Hardware
Underlying these innovations, Proxmox VE 9.1 relies on an updated tech base. While built on Debian 13.2 “Trixie,” it defaults to Linux kernel 6.17.2, newer than the one in Debian, providing better support for modern hardware and new kernel features.
Critical virtualization and storage components are also updated:
- QEMU 10.1.2: the main engine for VMs.
- LXC 6.0.5: responsible for system containers.
- ZFS 2.3.4: a highly regarded filesystem and volume management system for high availability environments.
- Ceph Squid 19.2.3: the latest stable branch of the distributed storage system, fully integrated for hyperconverged clusters.
These versions, tested and integrated by the Proxmox team, strike a balance between stability and performance improvements, especially leveraging new processors, controllers, and networking devices.
Installation, Upgrade, and Lifecycle
Proxmox VE 9.1 is available as a downloadable ISO image, ready for bare-metal server installation via a simple graphical wizard. If already running Debian 13 “Trixie,” you can install Proxmox VE on top of an existing setup following the official documentation.
Upgrades from previous versions are handled through APT. Migration guides are available for upgrading from Proxmox VE 8.x, and users on 9.0 can update directly to 9.1 either from CLI or GUI. According to official info, Proxmox VE 8.4 will continue to receive security patches and critical fixes until August 2026, offering about a year of transition from the initial 9.0 release.
As open source software licensed under GNU AGPLv3, Proxmox VE can be audited, customized, and used without vendor lock-in. The company also provides stable repositories and support services for those requiring additional guarantees in production environments.
Enterprise Subscriptions Starting at €115 per CPU per Year
While Proxmox VE can be freely downloaded and used without licensing fees, the company offers subscription plans for businesses seeking professional support and access to the Enterprise repository, with validated updates and official support. The starting price is 115 euros per year per CPU, making it competitive compared to typical proprietary virtualization licenses.
Many organizations rely on these subscriptions to ensure service continuity. The combination of open source software, partner ecosystem, and commercial support options makes Proxmox VE especially attractive for SMEs, managed service providers, and organizations aiming to build private clouds or high-availability environments without vendor lock-in.
A Mature Platform in a Decisive Decade for Infrastructure
With Proxmox VE 9.1, the Austrian company focuses less on radical change and more on consolidating a widely adopted platform. Features like OCI container support, vTPM and snapshot enhancements, granular nested virtualization controls, and improved SDN visibility aim to simplify administrators’ daily tasks and bolster confidence in mission-critical scenarios.
In a time when data centers face cost pressures, automation needs, and rapid adoption of containers and microservices, Proxmox VE’s evolution confirms that open source virtualization is not only a viable alternative but a strategic option for building flexible, sustainable infrastructure over the long term.
Frequently Asked Questions about Proxmox VE 9.1
What are the main new features of Proxmox VE 9.1 compared to previous versions?
Version 9.1 adds support for creating LXC containers from OCI images, making it easier to reuse container images from development pipelines. It introduces the ability to save vTPM state in qcow2 disks for complete VM snapshots with TPM, adds a new vCPU flag for controlling nested virtualization, and significantly improves SDN visibility via the web interface. Additionally, it updates the base system to Debian 13.2 “Trixie,” with Linux kernel 6.17.2, and recent versions of QEMU, LXC, ZFS, and Ceph Squid.
Is it safe to upgrade a Proxmox VE 8.x cluster to 9.1?
Upgrading is supported via APT and can be performed following the official migration guides. It is recommended to test the process in a lab environment first, ensure backups are current, and verify extension or integration compatibility. Proxmox VE 8.4 will continue to receive security updates until August 2026, providing a comfortable window for migration planning.
How does a company benefit from using OCI containers in Proxmox VE 9.1?
OCI image support allows organizations to leverage container artifacts used in development or other platforms, managed as LXC containers within Proxmox VE. This reduces duplication, simplifies deploying microservices and packaged applications, and optimizes resource usage by enabling lightweight application containers when a full system isn’t needed.
What licensing and support model does Proxmox VE 9.1 offer for production environments?
Proxmox VE is open source under the GNU AGPLv3 license, so it can be downloaded and used freely. For production use, Proxmox Server Solutions recommends purchasing an enterprise subscription, providing access to the Enterprise repository with tested updates and official support. Starting at 115 euros per year per CPU, different subscription tiers are available based on organizational needs.
Sources:
Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH – Proxmox VE 9.1 release notes, official documentation, and community forum announcement.