How to Install Portainer on Proxmox (Ubuntu VM)

If you’re running containers inside a Proxmox virtual machine, installing Portainer is one of the best ways to simplify Docker management. In this detailed tutorial, you’ll learn how to install Portainer on Ubuntu inside Proxmox, configure Docker correctly, and access the Portainer web UI securely.

This guide is optimized for performance, security, and SEO best practices.

What Is Portainer?

Portainer is a lightweight container management platform that provides a graphical interface to manage:

• Docker containers
• Images
• Volumes
• Networks
• Docker Swarm
• Kubernetes

Instead of managing containers purely via CLI, Portainer gives you a modern web dashboard.

What Is Proxmox?

Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) is a powerful open-source virtualization platform used to run:

• KVM Virtual Machines
• LXC Containers
• Software-defined storage

We will install Portainer inside an Ubuntu VM hosted on Proxmox.

Prerequisites

Before installing Portainer on Proxmox, ensure you have:

• Proxmox VE installed and running
• Ubuntu ISO (22.04 LTS recommended)
• Minimum 2 GB RAM for VM
• Root or sudo access
• Open ports: 9000 or 9443

Step 1: Create Ubuntu VM in Proxmox

1. Login to Proxmox Web UI

Access:

https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8006

https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8006

2. Create New Virtual Machine

• Click Create VM
• Select Node
• Upload Ubuntu ISO (if not already uploaded)
• Configure:
  • CPU: 2 cores
  • RAM: 2048 MB
  • Disk: 20 GB (recommended)
  • Network: Bridge (vmbr0)

3. Install Ubuntu

Boot the VM and install Ubuntu normally.

After installation:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Docker on Ubuntu

Portainer requires Docker. Install Docker using official repository:

Install Required Packages

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y

Add Docker GPG Key

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -

Add Docker Repository

sudo add-apt-repository \
   "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
   $(lsb_release -cs) \
   stable"

sudo add-apt-repository \
   "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
   $(lsb_release -cs) \
   stable"

Install Docker Engine

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce -y

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce -y

Verify Installation

docker --version

docker --version

Enable Docker:

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Step 3: Install Portainer on Ubuntu

Now install Portainer container.

Create Volume

docker volume create portainer_data

docker volume create portainer_data

Run Portainer Container

docker run -d \
  -p 9000:9000 \
  -p 9443:9443 \
  --name portainer \
  --restart=always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce:latest

docker run -d \
  -p 9000:9000 \
  -p 9443:9443 \
  --name portainer \
  --restart=always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce:latest

Portainer is now installed.

Step 4: Access Portainer Web Interface

Open browser:

http://YOUR_VM_IP:9000

http://YOUR_VM_IP:9000

Or secure version:

https://YOUR_VM_IP:9443

https://YOUR_VM_IP:9443

Initial Setup

1. Create admin password
2. Select Docker Environment
3. Click Connect

You now have a full container management dashboard.

Step 5: Enable Firewall Rules (Optional but Recommended)

If using UFW:

sudo ufw allow 9000
sudo ufw allow 9443
sudo ufw enable

sudo ufw allow 9000
sudo ufw allow 9443
sudo ufw enable

Step 6: Secure Portainer with SSL (Recommended for Production)

Instead of exposing 9000, use HTTPS (9443).

You can:

• Use self-signed certificate
• Or configure NGINX reverse proxy with Let’s Encrypt

Example using reverse proxy:

sudo apt install nginx -y

sudo apt install nginx -y

Then configure SSL with Certbot.

Step 7: Verify Portainer Container

Check running containers:

docker ps

docker ps

You should see:

portainer

portainer

Check logs:

docker logs portainer

docker logs portainer

Troubleshooting

Port 9000 Not Accessible?

Check:

sudo systemctl status docker

sudo systemctl status docker

Verify firewall:

sudo ufw status

sudo ufw status

Check VM IP:

ip a

ip a

Why Install Portainer on Proxmox?

Running Portainer inside a Proxmox VM gives:

• Clean separation of services
• Easy backups via Proxmox snapshots
• Isolated Docker environment
• Better resource control

Final Thoughts

Installing Portainer on Ubuntu inside Proxmox is straightforward and powerful. With Docker properly configured, you gain a professional-grade container management interface within minutes.