ProxMenux: The Little Helper for your Proxmox management

Do you sometimes feel that managing your Proxmox server is a science in itself?

Long commands, nested menus in the web GUI – this can quickly be frustrating. But what if there was an easier way? A way that guides you quickly and efficiently through all important tasks? That's what ProxMenux is..
This ingenious tool makes Proxmox management easier than ever before.

What is ProxMenux? A bridge between beginners and professionals

Think of ProxMenux as a kind of interactive translator. It takes complex Proxmox commands and packs them into a clear, text-based menu structure. You no longer have to memorize commands or click around in the web GUI for a long time. The tool, which serves as a slim wrapper, is written in Bash and uses whiptail, to present you with an intuitive interface in the shell. Please do not misunderstand, it is not a substitute for the web interface, but presents itself as an extremely useful addition. It closes the gap for those who do not want to constantly deal with the command line, but still appreciate the speed and efficiency of the terminal.

Nicely, the installation also includes the toolbox, which you may already know, the Proxmox VE Helper Scripts. Even those alone were a great help for the administration and spared me one or the other look into the documentation. The developer tteck, who unfortunately already He lost his battle with cancer last year., had taken care of this together with many other enthusiasts and it is nice to see that both the The community continues to care for them., as well as that ProxMenux has integrated them.

A particularly impressive feature is the easy integration of Hardware passthrough, for example, for graphics cards or even Google Coral TPUs in an LXC container. This is something that often requires manual, error-prone configuration steps. The automatic creation of templates for VMs and LXC is also a really cool time saving!

Brandon Lee from YouTube Channel VirtualizationHowto introduces you to the features:

A deeper look at the functions

The true strength of ProxMenux lies in the scope and organization of its functions. Everything is logically organized into menus, so you'll immediately find what you're looking for.

1. Post-install settings

After a fresh Proxmox installation, there are always a few things to do. ProxMenux automates these steps with scripts that can be found under this menu item. This saves time and ensures that everything is configured correctly, from storage management to the first security measures.

2. Help and information commands

This is like a personal cheat sheet collection right in your terminal. Instead of searching online for network or storage management commands, here's a categorized list of the most important commands:

• System commands: Overview of Proxmox version, kernel info and RAM usage.
• VM and CT management: Quickly start, stop, or list your VMs and containers.
• Memory commands: Shows you the partition layouts, ZFS pools or LVM info at a glance.

Not only do you see what commands are available, but you can often run them directly from the menu.

3. Hardware: GPUs and Coral TPU

For those who want to use hardware acceleration, this menu item is a blessing. Here you can in just a few clicks:

• iGPU acceleration Add to an LXC.
• One Coral TPU Integrate into an LXC container.
• Install or update the Coral TPU software on the host system.

This simplifies complex pass-through processes that otherwise require a lot of expert knowledge.

4. VM creation from templates and scripts

This is one of the most powerful features! ProxMenux uses Helper scripts to automate the creation of VMs for common systems. Simply select the desired category (e.g. NAS systems) and follow the instructions. Within a few minutes, you'll have a ready-made VM for:

• NAS systems: TrueNAS, OpenMediaVault or ZimaOS.
• Operating systems: Windows, Linux or even macOS (via GSX-PROXMOX).

This is a game changer because it completely eliminates the often tedious manual process of downloading and configuring images.

5. Disk and Storage Manager

Here you have full control over your data carriers. You can Hard drive pass-through Add to a VM or Disk images Import into a VM. This is especially useful if you are switching from another virtualization solution to Proxmox.

6. Proxmox VE Helper Scripts

This menu item is a real highlight. It integrates the popular Helper scripts that TTECK originally created. These scripts are a real goldmine and allow you to install countless applications and systems in just a few clicks, including:

• Smart home solutions: Pi-hole or AdGuard Home.
• Networking tools: Nginx Proxy Manager or WireGuard.
• Monitoring software: Grafana or Prometheus.

The sheer amount of supported applications makes this point an invaluable tool for anyone looking to build a versatile home lab.

Installation and first start - it's as easy as it gets

The installation is super uncomplicated. You log in to your Proxmox host and run the one-liner. The script then downloads everything necessary from GitHub and installs the required packages.

bash -c"$(wget -qLO - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MacRimi/ProxMenux/main/install_proxmenux.sh)"

After installation, simply start ProxMenux with the command menu.

The first time you start, you will be asked which language you want to use. The tool translates the menus for you, with English being the recommended language as it is the most up-to-date.

To work you bit deeper There are guides and the documentation.

Conclusion: Why ProxMenux is a must

ProxMenux is a lightweight but extremely powerful tool. It lowers the entry hurdle for Proxmox novices because it hides the complexity of the command line behind an understandable interface.

At the same time, it speeds up routine tasks for experienced admins who no longer need to navigate through endless web menus. The integration of Helper Scripts makes it one of the most versatile tools you can have for your Proxmox system.

It's fast, efficient, and even teaches you about the underlying commands. For me it is clear: ProxMenux belongs to every Proxmox server.