A file server as a virtual machine on Proxmox
TrueNAS, Samba or Nextcloud — and what virtualization changes for storage.
Starting at from €13.99/mo
Introduction
Running a virtual NAS on Proxmox answers a simple need: a file space reachable remotely and backed up, without buying or maintaining an appliance. Our VDS offer 100 to 700 GB of SSD, the L plan at €26.99/month bringing 250 GB and 32 GB of memory.
One point deserves saying plainly: on a virtualized server, ZFS does not see the physical disks. It works on a volume presented to it, which removes part of what made its reputation — detecting and repairing errors at disk level. It remains useful for snapshots and compression, but do not rely on it as you would on a NAS with direct hardware access.
In practice, many prefer something lighter than a full TrueNAS: a plain Samba share in an LXC container, or Nextcloud if web access and share links matter more than the file protocol. Both use a fraction of the memory and back up like everything else.
What the server brings, across the whole range
Proxmox VE already installed
The server arrives with <strong>Proxmox VE</strong> in place and its web interface reachable. You create your virtual machines and LXC containers from the browser, without a support ticket or a wait. <strong>Reinstalls are unlimited</strong>: an experiment that goes wrong is redone in minutes.
RAM, because that is what runs out first
On a hypervisor it is almost never the processor that caps out first: it is <strong>memory</strong>, because every virtual machine reserves its own. The range starts at <strong>16 GB</strong> and goes up to <strong>96 GB</strong>, which leaves room to stack several VMs without starving them.
Unlimited snapshots and backups
A snapshot before an update, another before a configuration change: that is what separates a test from a gamble. Neither the count nor the frequency is billed, so nothing discourages taking one more.
Up to 16 additional IPv4 addresses
Each VM can hold its own public address, which avoids routing everything through port forwards on the host. Useful as soon as a virtual firewall, a web server and a third-party service have to coexist cleanly.
What goes in it
A small organisation's files
A share reachable from office workstations over VPN, backed up automatically, with no appliance to watch and no disk to replace on a Sunday.
A backup destination
Backups of the other VMs, or of outside machines. Mind the rule: a copy on the same server does not protect against losing the server.
File sharing with the outside
Nextcloud provides share links, per-user permissions and a sync client. That is often what people were really after.
A personal media library
700 GB on the MAX plan, reachable from anywhere. The use is common, and 1 Gbit/s keeps up without effort.
Warm archiving
Data no longer consulted but still to be kept. SSD is not the cheapest medium per gigabyte, but it saves managing separate storage.
Frequently asked questions
Partly. Snapshots, compression and checksums work, but ZFS does not see the physical disks and cannot repair a hardware-level error. Do not assign it that role here.
TrueNAS recommends 8 GB minimum, more if ZFS handles a lot of data — its ARC cache takes what it is given. On a 16 GB VDS that leaves little for the rest: the L plan is more comfortable.
Changing plan raises the available space, requested from the client area. VMs and their disks follow: no reinstall to plan for.
No, if the original data lives on the same server. A backup must survive losing the machine: plan a copy to an outside destination.