Debian VM in Proxmox

March 6, 2026

proxmoxdebianvm

Debian is the default choice for general-purpose VMs in Proxmox. Use cloud-init images for repeatability; the ISO installer only when you need custom partitioning.

Cloud-init (preferred)

wget https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/latest/debian-12-genericcloud-amd64.qcow2

Follow the cloud-init template guide to build a reusable template, then clone per-VM.

Post-install essentials

Install the QEMU guest agent — required for Proxmox IP reporting and clean shutdown:

apt install -y qemu-guest-agent

systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent

Useful baseline packages:

apt install -y curl wget git htop vim

If using a cloud image and want man pages restored:

unminimize

Resize the disk

Cloud images default to 2–8GB. Resize in Proxmox first (UI: VM → Hardware → Hard Disk → Resize, or CLI):

qm resize <vmid> scsi0 +20G

Then expand inside the VM. For a standard partition:

growpart /dev/sda 1

resize2fs /dev/sda1

For LVM:

lvextend -l +100%FREE /dev/debian-vg/root

resize2fs /dev/debian-vg/root