If you’re running Proxmox VE 9 in production, you already know how powerful it is for virtualization, clustering, and storage. But here’s a common mistake: most admins back up their virtual machines — and forget the Proxmox host configuration.

Losing that data means reconfiguring your cluster, storage, and network settings from scratch. In this guide, you’ll learn how to back up and restore your Proxmox VE 9 host configuration safely, using simple and reliable methods.

What Is a Proxmox Host Configuration Backup?

Your Proxmox host configuration includes all the critical settings that define how your virtualization environment operates. These are stored primarily in the /etc/pve directory and include:

• Cluster and node membership information

• VM and container definitions

• Storage configurations (ZFS, LVM, NFS, etc.)

• Network bridges and VLANs

• Datacenter and HA settings

A configuration backup ensures that even if your Proxmox node or system disk fails, you can restore your setup quickly without losing critical metadata.

Why You Should Back Up Proxmox Configuration Files

While Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) protects your VMs and containers, it does not automatically back up your host configuration.
A configuration backup ensures you can:

• Rebuild a node or entire cluster after reinstall

• Quickly restore your network, storage, and VM definitions

• Avoid downtime and data loss after a hardware failure

• Maintain consistency across multiple Proxmox hosts

Method 1: Manual Backup Using TAR (Recommended)

The easiest and most effective way to back up your configuration is to create a compressed archive of /etc/pve.

Command:

This includes:

• /etc/pve/qemu-server/ → VM definitions

• /etc/pve/lxc/ → Container configurations

• /etc/pve/storage.cfg → Storage pools

• /etc/pve/datacenter.cfg → Global settings

• /etc/pve/corosync.conf → Cluster information

To include network and hostname details:

Store this backup file on:

• A Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)

• NFS or SMB share

• Cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3 or Google Drive)

Method 2: Automate Host Configuration Backups

You can automate configuration backups with a small shell script:

Make it executable:

Then add to cron:

This automatically creates daily configuration backups and deletes older files after 30 days.

Method 3: Backup Proxmox Config to PBS (Proxmox Backup Server)

If you use Proxmox Backup Server, you can upload your configuration backup directly to PBS:

This keeps your host configuration safe and versioned along with your VM backups — ideal for production clusters.

Method 4: Version Control with Git (Advanced)

For system administrators who want change tracking, store your Proxmox configuration in a private Git repository:

This approach gives you:

• Full version history

• Ability to track configuration changes

• Quick rollback to previous states

Note: Only commit when your Proxmox cluster is healthy, since /etc/pve is a special FUSE filesystem.

Don’t Forget Hardware and Boot Configurations

Besides /etc/pve, consider backing up the following files:

These contain boot, kernel, and storage driver settings required for system recovery.

Method 5: Full System Image Backup (Optional)

If your Proxmox host runs on ZFS root, take full system snapshots for bare-metal recovery:

This creates a restorable system image, ideal for major upgrades or before hardware replacement.

How to Restore Proxmox Configuration

If you reinstall Proxmox VE:

After this, your network setup, VM definitions, and cluster configuration will be restored automatically.

Quick Summary

Pro Tip

Add this alias for quick backups before upgrades or updates:

Then run:

anytime before applying updates or making major configuration changes.

Final Thoughts

Backing up your Proxmox VE 9 host configuration takes just a few minutes but can save hours — or even days — of downtime and troubleshooting. Whether you use simple tar backups, PBS integration, or version control, it’s a small investment that guarantees peace of mind.

Remember: your virtual machines are only as recoverable as your configuration. Start automating your Proxmox host configuration backups today.