Migrating from Proxmox to NixOS and Incus
nijho.lt
June 25, 2026
9 min read
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48/100
Summary
Proxmox has been decommissioned in favor of NixOS running Incus for managing a homelab. The transition involved migrating from a multi-node Proxmox cluster to a declarative configuration using NixOS.
Key Takeaways
- The author migrated from Proxmox to NixOS running Incus, decommissioning their Proxmox cluster after years of use.
- NixOS provided a solution to issues with NVIDIA driver management, allowing for atomic updates and reproducible configurations.
- The author experienced significant friction with Proxmox's GUI-first approach, which led to state drift and difficulties in maintaining infrastructure as code.
- NixOS enabled the author to document and automate hardware fixes directly in the system configuration, improving system reliability and ease of maintenance.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- NixOS has significantly improved my workflow with Proxmox, allowing me to configure and deploy everything from a single workstation without relying on the GUI.
- The ability to use AI agents for deploying fully terraformed VMs in Proxmox showcases the potential for automation and efficiency in managing infrastructure.
- Incus appears to offer features like container management and instance cloning that could enhance operational efficiency compared to other solutions.
Concerns
- Proxmox's API is poorly documented and lacks features, which limits its usability for comprehensive infrastructure management.
- The documentation for Nix and Incus is often terse and assumes a high level of prior knowledge, making it challenging for new users to get started.
- While Incus seems popular, its benefits over alternatives like Ganeti are not clearly articulated, leading to confusion about its advantages.
