Proxmox Container Options in 2025 Explained

What Proxmox changed in 2025 and how each container option fits into a modern home lab.

If you run a home lab in 2025, one of the most interesting things happening right now is how rapidly container support inside Proxmox VE has been evoling. For years, the decision was pretty simple. You either ran a full Docker VM and kept things traditional, or you leaned on LXC containers for lightweight workloads. Both methods still work great, but Proxmox VE 9.1 changes the conversation in a big way! Now it introduces native OCI image support. This gives you a third container workflow that sits directly between a Docker VM and a traditional LXC container, and it has some really great advantages that make it worth paying attention to.

The moment you upgrade to 9.1, you will notice a new option in the template storage view. Proxmox can now pull OCI compliant images from Docker Hub, GHCR, Quay, or any private registry and spin them up as first class managed containers.

These are not Docker containers in the strict sense. They run as LXC containers under the hood, but they use the exact same images that you would normally deploy with Docker. For home labs, this means far fewer virtual machines needed just to host a simple app. It also means fast deployments, easy snapshots, and reduced overhead compared to running a full Docker VM for every service.

This new OCI workflow does not replace Docker or LXC. Each method shines in different situations. A Docker VM is still the most flexible choice when you run large container stacks, when you depend heavily on Docker Compose, or when you want all the developer tooling and advanced networking options that Docker has available. It also has the cleanest way to keep Proxmox isolated from your container runtime.

LXC containers continue to be a really great option when you want speed and minimal overhead. They perform nearly at bare metal levels, spin up instantly, and are deeply integrated with Proxmox storage, networking, and permissions. They have some limitations, including reduced compatibility with certain apps and stricter system restrictions, but for DNS tools, small web apps, or simple services, they are still extremely efficient.

The new OCI support fills the gap between both worlds. You can pull an image you already trust, attach it to the Proxmox storage you already use, and run the container with almost no setup. For single apps like Uptime Kuma, Dozzle, or a microservice that does not need a full Docker stack, I think the new OCI support is a great fit.

It lowers resource usage, reduces VM count, and keeps everything integrated into the Proxmox backup and snapshot workflow. This is still a technology preview though, and many are asking and wondering how to keep OCI containers in 9.1 updated. So this process is unclear at this point.

If you want the full comparison including use cases, pros and cons, performance expectations, and a full breakdown table that shows exactly when to choose Docker VMs, when to choose LXC, and when OCI containers are the smarter choice, you can read the complete post here: https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2025/11/complete-guide-to-proxmox-containers-in-2025-docker-vms-lxc-and-new-oci-support/