As IT infrastructure grows more distributed—across datacenters, cloud zones, and hybrid networks—the need for a unified control panel becomes essential. Enter Proxmox Datacenter Manager (PDM), a new open-source product from the team behind Proxmox VE, designed to give administrators a bird’s-eye view and remote control over all their virtualization nodes and clusters—even across separate networks.
Currently in alpha stage, PDM is shaping up to become the next-generation orchestrator for managing large-scale Proxmox deployments.
What Is Proxmox Datacenter Manager (PDM)?
PDM is a standalone tool designed to manage:
- Multiple Proxmox VE clusters
- Standalone Proxmox nodes
- Remote migration and lifecycle operations
- Consolidated VM/CT monitoring and search
Unlike the built-in “Datacenter” tab in the Proxmox VE GUI (which only manages one cluster at a time), PDM lets you oversee and interact with multiple isolated systems in a single dashboard.
Key Features (As of Alpha 0.1)
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Unified Dashboard | Single pane of glass for multiple Proxmox VE clusters or nodes |
| Remote Migrations | Migrate VMs between hosts—even across clusters |
| ⏯ VM Lifecycle | Start, stop, reboot, or delete VMs/CTs remotely |
| Resource Overview | Global status, load, storage capacity, VM stats |
| Centralized Search | Search across all VMs, containers, and nodes |
| Add/Remove Hosts | Easily register or deregister Proxmox nodes |
| Built in Rust | Lightweight, secure, and modern web interface |
Architecture & Components
- Rust-based backend: Modern, memory-safe, and high-performance
- Web UI: Fast, clean interface with a new design separate from traditional Proxmox VE
- API: Designed to support automation and third-party integrations in future releases
- Agentless communication: Uses Proxmox VE APIs over HTTPS; no agents to install on nodes
- Reverse proxy–friendly: Easily run behind Nginx or Caddy
Example Use Case
A company with 5 Proxmox VE clusters across three countries uses Proxmox Datacenter Manager to:
- View all VM workloads from a single console
- Identify underutilized hosts and rebalance workloads
- Remotely restart or migrate a VM in a remote office without logging into its cluster
- Prepare for centralized backup and access control integration
Release Roadmap
| Milestone | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha 0.1 | ✅ Released (Dec 19, 2024) | Available for testing; not for production |
| Beta | Expected Mid 2025 | Adds SDN, backup views, ACLs, terminal access |
| Stable 1.0 | Planned for Late 2025 | Enterprise-ready version with full features |
The alpha version is installable today via Debian package or container, and is community-supported.
Alpha Limitations
As of version 0.1, Proxmox Datacenter Manager is:
- Functional for viewing and managing VMs/CTs
- Lacking full backup integration, user ACLs, and console/terminal access
- Missing cluster-wide update and monitoring tools (planned for Beta)
It’s best suited for testing labs or homelab enthusiasts, not yet ready for production deployments.
Features Planned for Future Releases
- User and permission management (ACLs)
- Integration with Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)
- Console access to remote VMs
- Backup job creation/monitoring
- SDN control panel across clusters
- Multi-cluster software update interface
- Monitoring and alerting
These features aim to make PDM a true fleet manager for Proxmox infrastructure.
How is PDM Different from Proxmox VE’s Built-in Datacenter?
| Feature | Proxmox VE (Datacenter tab) | Proxmox Datacenter Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Single cluster only | Multi-cluster, multi-node |
| Console access | ✅ | Coming soon |
| Remote migrations | ❌ (only intra-cluster) | ✅ |
| User/ACL config | ✅ | Coming soon |
| Use cases | Traditional on-prem clusters | Hybrid/multi-site setups |
Security & Integration
- Communicates over HTTPS
- Compatible with Proxmox’s realm-based authentication
- Will support role-based access control (RBAC) in upcoming versions
- Ideal for integration with Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) and Proxmox Mail Gateway (PMG)
Installation (Alpha 0.1)
PDM ISO can be downloaded from: https://enterprise.proxmox.com/iso/proxmox-datacenter-manager_0.1-ALPHA-1.iso.
Final Thoughts
Proxmox Datacenter Manager is Proxmox’s response to the rising complexity of managing decentralized infrastructure. While currently in alpha, it signals a major leap toward unified orchestration across Proxmox deployments of any size. If your business operates across regions, cloud zones, or disconnected Proxmox clusters, PDM will soon be indispensable.