Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) has consistently evolved to meet the needs of virtualization enthusiasts and professionals.

From version 7.1 to the milestone release of 8.0, Proxmox VE has introduced a range of features, fixes, and enhancements that have solidified its position as a leading open-source virtualization platform and viable alternative to others like VMWare vSPhere.

Here’s a look at the journey since version 7.1:

Proxmox VE 7.1 (November 2021)

  • Debian 11.1 “Bullseye”, but using a newer Linux kernel 5.13
  • LXC 4.0, Ceph 16.2.6, QEMU 6.1, and OpenZFS 2.1
  • VM wizard with defaults for Windows 11 (q35, OVMF, TPM)
  • New backup scheduler daemon for flexible scheduling options
  • Backup retention
  • Protection flag for backups
  • Two-factor Authentication: WebAuthn, recovery keys, multiple factors for a single account
  • New container templates: Fedora, Ubuntu, Alma Linux, Rocky Linux
  • and many more enhancements, bugfixes, etc.

(Proxmox VE 7.1 detailed release notes)

Proxmox VE 7.2 (May 2022)

  • Based on Debian 11.3 “Bullseye” but using a newer Linux kernel 5.15
  • Support for the accelerated virtio-gl (VirGL) display driver
  • Notes templates for backup jobs (e.g. add the name of your VMs and CTs to the backup notes)
  • Ceph erasure code support
  • Updated existing and new LXC container templates (New: Ubuntu 22.04, Devuan 4.0, Alpine 3.15)
  • ISO: Updated memtest86+ to the completely rewritten 6.0b version, adding support for UEFI and modern memory like DDR5
  • and many more GUI enhancements

(Proxmox VE 7.2 detailed release notes)

Proxmox VE 7.3 (November 2022)

  • Debian 11.5 “Bullseye”, but using a newer Linux kernel 5.15 or 5.19
  • QEMU 7.1, LXC 5.0.0, and ZFS 2.1.6
  • Ceph Quincy 17.2.5 and Ceph Pacific 16.2.10; heuristical checks to see if it is safe to stop or remove a service instance (MON, MDS, OSD)
  • Initial support for a Cluster Resource Scheduler (CRS)
  • Proxmox Offline Mirror – https://pom.proxmox.com/
  • Tagging virtual guests in the web interface
  • CPU pinning: Easier affinity control using taskset core lists
  • New container templates: Fedora, Ubuntu, Alma Linux, Rocky Linux
  • Reworked USB devices: can now be hot-plugged
  • ZFS dRAID pools
  • Proxmox Mobile: based on Flutter 3.0
  • And many more enhancements.

(Proxmox VE 7.3 detailed release notes)

Proxmox VE 7.4 (March 2023)

  • Debian 11.6 “Bullseye”, but using a newer Linux kernel 5.15 or 6.2
  • QEMU 7.2, LXC 5.0.2, and ZFS 2.1.9
  • Ceph Quincy 17.2.5 and Ceph Pacific 16.2.11
  • A fully-integrated “Proxmox Dark” theme variant
  • Display of detailed Ceph OSD information in GUI and API
  • Download task logs as text files
  • Sorting of resource tree by name or VMID
  • HA manager: Added CRM command to switch an online node manually into maintenance (without reboot)
  • CRS: rebalance VMs & containers automatically on start

(Proxmox VE 7.4 detailed release notes)

Proxmox VE 8.0 (June 2023)

  • Debian 12, but using a newer Linux kernel 6.2
  • QEMU 8.0.2, LXC 5.0.2, ZFS 2.1.12
  • Ceph Server:
  • Ceph Quincy 17.2 is the default and comes with continued support.
  • There is now an enterprise repository for Ceph which can be accessed via any Proxmox VE subscription, providing the best stability for production systems.
  • Additional text-based user interface (TUI) for the installer ISO.
  • Integrate host network bridge and VNet access when configuring virtual guests into the ACL system of Proxmox VE.
  • (Proxmox VE 8.0 detailed release notes)

    Each release of Proxmox VE has brought meaningful improvements, addressing user feedback and advancing the platform’s capabilities. From enhanced backup management to cutting-edge SDN features, Proxmox VE continues to empower users with robust and flexible virtualization tools.

    The Evolution of Proxmox VE: Key Features and Enhancements from 7.1 to 8.0