Proxmox VE 9.1 just made containers in the home lab a lot more interesting by adding native OCI image support alongside the classic Docker VM and LXC approaches, and in this video I walk through what changed in 9.1, how the new “Pull from OCI registry” feature works, why it matters that Proxmox can now run OCI images inside LXC under the hood, and how this compares to running full Docker or Podman in a dedicated virtual machine or using lightweight LXC containers for simple services. We will look at the pros and cons of each option and where the new OCI support hits the sweet spot for deployments without spinning up a full VM, so you can decide which container method is best for your home lab or production Proxmox environment in late 2025.
Written guide to Proxmox Containers with the new 9.1 release: https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/2025/11/complete-guide-to-proxmox-containers-in-2025-docker-vms-lxc-and-new-oci-support/
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0:00 Intro: Proxmox containers in 2025
1:03 What changed in Proxmox VE 9.1
2:22 How native OCI image support works
3:48 Running Docker and Podman in a VM
6:29 LXC containers explained in Proxmox
8:05 New OCI containers as the middle ground
10:36 Which container option should you use
11:50 Final thoughts and wrap up
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