Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Environment variables provide the most flexible way to configure container deployments. They override all other settings and can be used for both interactive and automated deployments.

​
Basic Usage

Set variables before running any installation script: 
var_cpu=4 var_ram=4096 var_disk=30 bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/main/ct/debian.sh)"
Or export them for multiple deployments: 
export var_cpu=4
export var_ram=4096
export var_hostname=myserver

bash debian-install.sh

​
Resource Allocation

​
var_cpu
integer
default:"1-4 (app-specific)"
Number of CPU cores allocated to the container
var_cpu=4  # 4 CPU cores
​
var_ram
integer
default:"512-4096 (app-specific)"
RAM allocation in megabytes (MB)
var_ram=2048  # 2GB RAM
var_ram=4096  # 4GB RAM
​
var_disk
integer
default:"2-20 (app-specific)"
Disk size in gigabytes (GB)
var_disk=20  # 20GB disk
var_disk=100 # 100GB disk
​
var_unprivileged
boolean
default:"1"
Container privilege level
  • 1 = Unprivileged (more secure, recommended)
  • 0 = Privileged (required for Docker/Podman)
var_unprivileged=1  # Unprivileged container
var_unprivileged=0  # Privileged (for Docker)

​
Operating System

​
var_os
string
default:"debian"
Operating system template
  • debian - Debian Linux
  • ubuntu - Ubuntu Linux
  • alpine - Alpine Linux
var_os=debian
var_os=ubuntu
var_os=alpine
​
var_version
string
default:"13"
OS version number
  • Debian: 12, 13
  • Ubuntu: 22.04, 24.04
  • Alpine: 3.19, 3.20, 3.21
var_version=13      # Debian 13
var_version=24.04   # Ubuntu 24.04
var_version=3.21    # Alpine 3.21

​
Network Configuration

​
var_brg
string
default:"vmbr0"
Network bridge interface
var_brg=vmbr0  # Default bridge
var_brg=vmbr1  # Alternative bridge
​
var_net
string
default:"dhcp"
Network configuration method
  • dhcp - Automatic IP via DHCP
  • 192.168.1.100/24 - Static IP with CIDR
  • 192.168.1.100/24-192.168.1.200/24 - IP range scan (auto-assign first free IP)
var_net=dhcp                                      # DHCP
var_net=192.168.1.100/24                         # Static IP
var_net=192.168.1.100/24-192.168.1.200/24        # IP range scan
IP Range Scanning: When you specify a range, the system pings each IP and automatically assigns the first available one. Perfect for automated deployments without manual IP tracking.
​
var_gateway
string
default:""
Default gateway (required for static IP)
var_gateway=192.168.1.1
​
var_ipv6_method
string
default:"none"
IPv6 configuration method
  • none - Disable IPv6
  • auto - Automatic via SLAAC
  • dhcp - DHCPv6
var_ipv6_method=none  # Disable IPv6
var_ipv6_method=auto  # Auto-configure
​
var_ipv6_static
string
default:""
Static IPv6 address with prefix
var_ipv6_static=2001:db8::1/64
​
var_mtu
integer
default:"1500"
Maximum Transmission Unit size
var_mtu=1500   # Standard
var_mtu=9000   # Jumbo frames
​
var_vlan
integer
default:""
VLAN tag ID
var_vlan=100
​
var_mac
string
default:"auto"
MAC address (auto-generated if not specified)
var_mac=AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF
​
var_ns
string
default:""
DNS nameservers (comma-separated)
var_ns=8.8.8.8,1.1.1.1
​
var_searchdomain
string
default:""
DNS search domain
var_searchdomain=example.com

​
Container Identity

​
var_hostname
string
default:"[app-name]"
Container hostname
var_hostname=production-web
var_hostname=dev-database
​
var_ctid
integer
default:"auto"
Container ID (auto-assigned if not specified)
var_ctid=100
Ensure the ID is unique across your cluster before setting manually
​
var_tags
string
default:"community-script"
Container tags (semicolon-separated)
var_tags="production;web;nginx"
var_tags="development;testing"
​
var_timezone
string
default:"host timezone"
Container timezone
var_timezone=America/New_York
var_timezone=Europe/London
var_timezone=Asia/Tokyo

​
Security & Access

​
var_ssh
boolean
default:"no"
Enable SSH server
  • yes - Install and enable OpenSSH
  • no - No SSH access
var_ssh=yes
​
var_ssh_authorized_key
string
default:""
SSH public key(s) for root access (newline-separated for multiple keys)
var_ssh_authorized_key="ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQ... user@host"
​
var_pw
string
default:"auto-generated"
Root password (auto-generated if not specified)
var_pw="SecurePassword123"
Avoid storing passwords in defaults files. Use SSH keys instead.
​
var_protection
boolean
default:"no"
Enable container deletion protection
  • yes - Prevent accidental deletion
  • no - No protection
var_protection=yes

​
Container Features

​
var_nesting
boolean
default:"1"
Enable container nesting (required for Docker, Podman, LXC inside LXC)
  • 1 = Enabled
  • 0 = Disabled
var_nesting=1  # Enable Docker support
​
var_fuse
boolean
default:"no"
Enable FUSE filesystem support (required for rclone, mergerfs, AppImage)
  • yes = Enabled
  • no = Disabled
var_fuse=yes  # Enable for rclone
​
var_tun
boolean
default:"no"
Enable TUN/TAP device support (required for VPN apps: WireGuard, OpenVPN, Tailscale)
  • yes = Enabled
  • no = Disabled
var_tun=yes  # Enable for VPN
​
var_keyctl
boolean
default:"0"
Enable keyctl syscall (required for Docker containers and systemd-networkd)
  • 1 = Enabled
  • 0 = Disabled
var_keyctl=1  # Enable for Docker
Automatically enabled for unprivileged containers
​
var_mknod
boolean
default:"0"
Allow device node creation (experimental, requires kernel 5.3+)
  • 1 = Enabled
  • 0 = Disabled
var_mknod=1
​
var_gpu
boolean
default:"no"
Enable GPU passthrough (auto-detects Intel/AMD/NVIDIA GPUs)
  • yes = Enable hardware acceleration
  • no = No GPU access
var_gpu=yes  # For Plex, Jellyfin, AI/ML
​
var_mount_fs
string
default:""
Mount host filesystem paths (comma-separated)
var_mount_fs="/mnt/data,/mnt/media"

​
Storage

​
var_container_storage
string
default:"local"
Storage location for container root filesystem
var_container_storage=local
var_container_storage=local-lvm
var_container_storage=pve-thin
​
var_template_storage
string
default:"local"
Storage location for OS templates
var_template_storage=local
var_template_storage=nfs-templates

​
Package Management

​
var_apt_cacher
boolean
default:"no"
Use APT Cacher-NG proxy (speeds up package downloads)
  • yes = Use caching proxy
  • no = Direct downloads
var_apt_cacher=yes
​
var_apt_cacher_ip
string
default:""
APT Cacher-NG server IP address
var_apt_cacher_ip=192.168.1.50

​
Debugging

​
var_verbose
boolean
default:"no"
Enable verbose output during installation
  • yes = Show detailed logs
  • no = Standard output
var_verbose=yes

​
Complete Example

Here’s a production-ready deployment with commonly used variables: 
#!/bin/bash
# Production Debian container with all features

var_unprivileged=1 \
var_cpu=4 \
var_ram=4096 \
var_disk=30 \
var_os=debian \
var_version=13 \
var_hostname=production-app \
var_brg=vmbr0 \
var_net=192.168.1.100/24 \
var_gateway=192.168.1.1 \
var_ipv6_method=none \
var_ssh=yes \
var_ssh_authorized_key="ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQ... admin@workstation" \
var_nesting=1 \
var_fuse=yes \
var_tun=yes \
var_tags="production;web;automated" \
var_timezone=America/New_York \
var_protection=yes \
var_verbose=no \
  bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/community-scripts/ProxmoxVE/main/ct/debian.sh)"

​
Common Patterns

​
Docker Host

var_unprivileged=0 \
var_nesting=1 \
var_keyctl=1 \
var_cpu=4 \
var_ram=8192 \
var_disk=50 \
var_hostname=docker-host \
  bash docker-install.sh

​
VPN Gateway

var_tun=yes \
var_cpu=2 \
var_ram=1024 \
var_disk=10 \
var_hostname=wireguard \
var_tags="vpn;network" \
  bash wireguard-install.sh

​
Media Server with GPU

var_gpu=yes \
var_unprivileged=1 \
var_cpu=6 \
var_ram=8192 \
var_disk=100 \
var_hostname=plex \
var_tags="media;transcoding" \
  bash plex-install.sh

​
High-Availability Web Server

var_cpu=4 \
var_ram=4096 \
var_disk=20 \
var_hostname=web-prod-01 \
var_net=192.168.1.50/24 \
var_gateway=192.168.1.1 \
var_protection=yes \
var_tags="production;web;ha" \
  bash nginx-install.sh

​
Variable Validation

Only whitelisted variables are accepted for security reasons. Setting unknown variables will have no effect.
Allowed Variable Prefixes:
  • All variables must start with var_
  • Custom variables are ignored
  • See the complete list above for all supported variables

Defaults System

Save variables as reusable defaults

Unattended Deployment

Automate deployments with variables