Making Proxmox Great - My Vision for a BETTER Proxmox UI!

[@michaelrichardson8467]

Dang man, I don't agree with all your opinions, but when you show what you're talking about instead of just complaining it makes so much easier to take this seriously. Pretty impressive graphics to showcase what you're talking about. I hope the Proxmox devs are listening. Some of these ideas and UI changes would be amazing to have. Thanks Rich!

[@2GuysTek]

Appreciate it! I'm hoping that @ProxmoxVE is listening!

[@teagancollyer]

my takeaways and opinions on the video: - vm names with spaces: meh, could be nice but pretty sure you can already use underscores in names which is one of the options you stated (spaces, underscores, hyphens). Personally what I'd like is the options for capital letters. - hidding vm/ct tags: dunno why your commenting on this, that's just a UI toggle in the datacenter options as far as I'm aware, personall preferance I'd say and it's easier to "show all" and let ppl disable it rather than disable it by default and make them look for a way to enable it. - folders: could be useful, then again tags sort of act as folders depending on which view your in. - editing multiple vms/cts: ngl seems like a useful feature for some tasks like bulk setting vlans or changing the vmbr/sdn the vms/cts are connected to. - moving the vm/ct settings/configuration panel to the top of the screen: I'm meh on this, it would look clean, until you have to enter a submenu or sub-submenu, i don't like the idea of hover menus as they can be a pita to use in some situations like slow desktop or when using buggy mice. Maybe a togleable configuration panel would make sense so you can hide it when not needed, or move it to the right side of the screen so you don't have two panels next to each other. - exporting vm/ct resources: could be done via the influxdb exporter (which is what I assume proxmox's reasoning is) but some native way to export could be nice for those who want it - node summary page: I don't agree with all of the reasoning for the changes to the page but it does look a bit more helpful

[@seanwoods1526]

I love these changes. It gives the UI a polished look and feel. Like may others have stated it does give it some VMware vibes, but it isn't a bad things.

[@KerryBenton]

Couldn't agree more. As a basic principle for dashboard / management UI's, if you've got a ton of empty whitespace and also a scrollbar, something needs to be changed. Either decide that some of the information being presented isn't actually important, or find a way to move or consolidate it.

[@kienanvella]

The 'type' column exists because containers also show up in that list - as 'LXC'. Which, it would pretty neat if proxmox supported 'docker' natively, probably through podman. Also, your graphs do actually reflow to be beside one another by default as long as the horizontal resolution is high enough. Most of these suggestions are very Xen Orchestra like, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Personally what I'd like to see is the proxmox web UI get some kind of plugin framework to allow the community to extend it in a better way than doing a search and replace on the Javascript file.

[@kjstech1982]

Oh I would love native docker support. Also a curated “App Store” with the ability to import third party App Store sources, or import your own containers. Ok now I’m sounding too much like unraid.

[@StevenLynn]

Migrated my homelab to Proxmox in early 2023 after running VMware 6.7 for several years. I tried XCP-ng for two or three weeks before landing on Proxmox and never looked back. I do agree that Proxmox UI needs an overhaul. Looking at screenshots from pre-2020 of Proxmox, the UI looks pretty much the same. The biggest change I have seen in my time with Proxmox is they added a dark theme. No more having to run a script on the host to add the theme.

[@locusm]

Yes, Proxmox does seem to suffer from "Designed by programmers" or maybe the frontend javascript library they use is limiting. Either way these are great suggestions (personally I like VMID's being visible as I refer to them from the terminal all the time)

[@rklrkl64]

I tend to match VM names (and their storage names) in Proxmox to their DNS hostnames, which I feel is the most sensible naming scheme you could pick. DNS hostnames allow letters, numbers and "-", which is fine by me. The tidying up you suggested for the UI is mostly fine, but I feel there should be UI config options to pick old vs. new style elements particularly for where the config menus are placed.

[@lifefromscratch2818]

Not gonna flame because I think actually showing what you'd like to see instead of just complaining is an awesome approach. But I disagree with most your ideas. Which I'm kind of surprised by. haha

[@AlexKidd4Fun]

I agree with you. The only change I agree on is the ability to create category folders to organize VMs. The problem then becomes how to handle the transition from one host to another as VMs migrate and shift between hosts.

[@joshhardin666]

I like most of these changes very much, but I don't like nested management options because they're hidden until I mouse through all the menus - I'd prefer to see all of them at the same time with the current management interface. everything else though I'm really impressed with and would very much love to see implemented.

[@engineer6250]

Make it a selectable option….?

[@PatrickAustin]

In Proxmox click the node then summary...in the top right select "Bulk Actions". This allows Start, Shutdown, Suspend and Migrate of multiple vm's.

[@sebastian_harnisch]

I don't agree with removing tags and VM IDs generally, but this could be an option.

[@yourpcmd]

I agree with what you've proposed. Would be good if they added a way to make the fonts bigger too. However, even with what you want, the UI still looks like it was made during Windows XP days. Better HTML pages with updated Bootstrap 5 would really set it off.

[@sevilnatas]

You should walk through some common operations one would do within the UI, screenshotting each step, and then do the same in you UI mockup. Not only would users be looking for a better looking UI, but also a more efficient UI, which I think your suggestions deliver.

[@asbestinuS]

I'd like that Folder View with the ability to create actual folders to sort my stuff. Currently I can only sort it kind of with the way I use IDs. In a home office where I have like 10 VMs or something this might just be ok, but thinking about a big cluster with hundreds of VMs this won't work. I also would like to see the checkboxes for multiple operations. And putting the notes inside the overview window wouldn't hurt as well, like for each VM. Not sure about the menu on top though, I like that in between column and the IDs have to stay. So much depends on the IDs of the VMs. On the VM overview I really miss the information on how much in % or better in "speed" this VM uses my storage. I only have the IO delay in general but not VM specific. Overall I wouldn't be sad to see the GUI changed. It would certainly appeal more to new admins, I think. Thanks for the video!

[@Unstated-nv2hh]

I like the folder options to separate the VMs and containers, You were spot on about the spaces in the naming of the virtual machines. I feel like I am using DOS when we cannot space on the VM or container names. Proxmox should also allow us to decrease our hard drive space when space on our virtual machines are not needed.

[@TrTai]

I'm really torn on a lot of those calls but definitely see the argument for them, I think the one thing everyone can agree on is the ability to make custom folders in the folder view. Failing that, at least let the tags be viewable as folders. I personally couldn't get past having the VMID not visible but think it's fair, granted a chunk of the reason I like having them visible is organization which would be redundant with additional changes when I think through it. A lot of it is just having the OPTIONS to be able to do these things, if not out of the box, at least in a supported way.

[@yasaralzakout7691]

Great suggestions. I hope the people in Proxmox are watching. I'm just afraid if it becomes too pretty, they will start charging money for it, LOL.

[@Shineylake]

I agree with all except removing vm type. Many folks use LXC type VMs mixed with qemu.

[@apmellott]

I'm a fan of the updated interface. Definitely have a +1 from me on making a change. How did you go about doing the redesign? Did you actually modify the code behind the UI or was it a mock-up in another app?

[@SeanWoods-u9p]

Kudos to you from moving from VMware. I tried to move to Nutanix in my home lab and for me that didn't workout to well. Currently Proxmox isn't my cup of tea, but I am holding out hope for XCP-ng after their refresh. Like you I use VMware at work and for now I'm ok with sticking with what works and letting these other companies make that last push in their produces.

[@seanwoods1526]

@2GuysTek - First lets me say if this isn't the right place to put this open question I am sorry. That being said You're looking at a month with PM in your lab, is it getting better for you? For me I am VMware at work, and I am having a hard time finding myself wanting to migrate to something like a PM. I am keeping my eyes open for the GUI refresh for NCP-XG. As much as I really wanted Nutanix to work, the RAM requirement is just to much when matched with my MS-01 units. In my use case ESXI 8 with Vcenter 8 in HA and HCI and Synology doing my nightly snapshot.. I feel like is the right spot for me to be for the current time.

[@2GuysTek]

The first thing I tell people who ask this similar question is this: If you're happy with VMware and you're comfortable with the potential risk of Broadcom pulling the rug out of VMUG Advantage, then stay with it! If your day job is sticking with VMware, then you're keeping your skills sharp with VMware by using it at home and at work, which is another reason to stay. I've warmed up a lot to Proxmox, and I've been very happy with it in my homelab so far, so just know that if Broadcom decides to make VCF or VVF impossible for you in your homelab, you have alternatives that will do the job well on the current hardware you have. I, too, am waiting to see what the new UI for XO and XOA ends up looking like. I recently saw the early release of XO-lite for the new version of XCP-ng, and they're making some really *GREAT* improvements! It's just not ready yet.

[@mr.hughes6363]

Agreed, would be nice to have a better dashboard for sure. As a current VMware admin I don't really mind the way PM is set up but my favorite dashboard so far has been with Unraid. Mainly because it's so customizable.

[@JosephHarry]

You are basically saying that it should look like vcenter.... I agree 💯

[@2GuysTek]

Somewhat, but not exactly! I won't argue that much of my inspiration comes from vCenter, however PVE's UI gets the job done - I just want to see it get better!

[@JosephHarry]

@@2GuysTek I agree with you. I use vcenter all day and 7 does look close to that. I agree though it gets the job done

[@TantissTheEmperor]

I completely agree you. But majority of pve users are not mid-large size companies admin and have very strong opinions.

[@Theborg72]

Hi tanks fore this video. I like everything about proxmox but as you describe the UI hasn't kept up, it can be made so much cleaner and more modern so what you showed is on the right track. But nested submenus would be a requirement. Hope they see it and realize that it's time to update the UI, otherwise it doesn't matter how good it is as a program if it's terrible to work in.

[@adamtoth9114]

For me it's convenient to see the vmids next to their name, but I suppose making this configurable is not a big issue. And I guess you're always welcome to fork their repo and make the changes there. Then you can open a PR maybe they'll approve it. But if you don't want to work without knowing it's gonna be merged you can always open a feature request with this video attached and get some supporters there.

[@JershBytes]

I'd like to see them implement view.js or something like that to bring the more modern feel. I can navigate the UI just fine but that UI has been the same for like 10 years now lol

[@2GuysTek]

Time for an update, I'd say!

[@JershBytes]

@@2GuysTek oh most definitely. Ironically a month or two back went to the proxmox sub-reddit. Proxmox vets were not happy about someone suggesting a better UI lol.

[@ChrisCebelenski]

@@JershBytes Change happens slowly, and often not without a fight. I've seen that on many open-source projects. But moving to something like React or Angular would be a good first step. Ultimately some kind of customization by the user is where it should end up - go look at a lot of the "homepage/landing page" type projects out there.

[@dyeffsondorsaint6149]

​​@@ChrisCebelenskino it would not those frameworks are bloated htmx is the solution

[@SteveSunny]

The fact that you can't select multiple VMs,put special characters in vm names or create and organize by folders blows my mind. Guess I'll be sticking with vSphere.

[@mhos5730]

Ooo i'm in love with the config section suggestion.

[@AustinSpringer]

I just want to be able to paste into the Console window.

[@2GuysTek]

Damn! I should have added this to my complaints list!

[@mikeandersen8535]

I definitely loved your suggested changes! Hope someone at Proxmox sees this video, and implements at least some of your ideas. :)

[@ronwatkins5775]

Is this new UI available for download or was this just a mockup?

[@brandonjohnson3566]

I like the change, I think because proxmox hasnt really change the UI in years. The people who disagree are doing so because of it being comfortable for them after using the same UI for years. I know im going to get hate for this but how xcp-ng has xen orchestra ui layout is exactly how i believe proxmox should be but with that beautiful dark theme with orange texts and highlights. Proxmox is miles better than xcp-ng especially with the difference in free editions. One other thing i wish proxmox did like xcp-ng is make clustering ans switching which node can be the master on the fly.

[@kuntalpatel9731]

@John Oliver, thank you for this episode. Truer words have never been spoken!

[@cameronkeenan7766]

I love all the ideas you put forth in this video, my only real gripe with proxmox is the fact that, if needed for a vm, when you connect to ISCSI ALL of the graphs stop rendering. I run with a single network interface because I'm using some old desktop hardware I had lying around and I'm not sure of a fix I could implement as it's not something I've gone into studying but it would be nice if they didn't all stop rendering because I connected my node to an ISCSI device.

[@ChrisCebelenski]

Yes, that's an annoying bug - and it's been around awhile. But it's not a proxmox bug, it's either qemu or a kernel bug and it's been a problem for several releases now. Even worse, if the iSCSI LUN goes inactive (network error, machine down, etc) it can freeze the entire system. For that reason I had to move away from iSCSI and use NFS, which has it's own issues too. Storage and Linux can be fickle, but I guess not really worse than Windows, for example.

[@kjstech1982]

This is a good reason keeping Proxmox out of my production network. I love our Pure Arrays, and the iSCSI performance and array to array snapshot and replication work great. It works flawless with VMware, and in our testing seems to work fine with Hyper-V. We have a lot invested in Pure so I’d love to see competitors like Proxmox step up the iSCSI support and stability.

[@ChrisCebelenski]

@@kjstech1982 You could still attach iSCSI LUN's from within the VM's, even give them a dedicated storage NIC, without touching the proxmox kernel space - I'm sure that would work seamlessly, as long as the hypervisor itself isn't trying to manage the storage space.

[@kjstech1982]

@@ChrisCebelenski that’s an interesting thought. I may experement a little bit there.

[@aflawrence]

Perhaps one of the reason Proxmox doesn't use some of the UI changes such as folders is to avoid making it look to much like VMware could expose them to a lawsuit. Which given Broadcom's history would no doubt happen. While I do think the UI could use some tweaks it seems you want to make a VMware clone. If you want a VMware look then just use that. In my opinion Proxmox focus is on function, particularly the power behind the CLI, and the form in terms of the UI is less important to the developers....it's useful and gets the job done sort of approach.

[@SeanWoods-u9p]

Looks like they just updated the GUI a bit with the latest release.

[@T1g3rc1aw]

Yes to DRS, folders and multi-select, I however disagree with most of your other ideas. I especially find the submenu idea aweful, cause you constantly have to deal with the menu closing or staying open for too long. It's perfect the way it is. And it is probably dependant on how your resolution is, but with my proxmox, the notes panel shows up when I click on a container or vm. The tag-field would be useful though.

[@B3yondBlu]

I'm holding out for Xen Orchestra 6 and XO Lite before I make a transition decision from vCenter as the Proxmox UI got me too.

[@BlitzFingers]

Many good points. I hope more jump on board with the improvements.

[@kejar31]

If you add folders, you are going to need to have them apply to the whole cluster.. Having duplicate folders for every host will get messy.. You are showing a single host which makes it nice and easy but when you have 10 or more.. well you get the idea

[@JasonsLabVideos]

NICE ! I need to put my cpu into my Supermicro soon !

[@JaapJolman]

You can stop en start mutliple vms using bulk actions its a bit hidden but you can already do that part and when run in cluster mode you get more stats on the dc page

[@jtsoldier]

Yeah, they really just need to add this to the Virtual Machine list instead of hiding it under individual Nodes. You aren't in the Node to manipulate VMs, you're there to manipulate that specific host, so that makes more sense anyway.

[@GCTWorks]

I would love to be able to see more of the Network information for my VMs. It only currently shows the IP address for one of the virtual NICs unless you click another button. If possible, it would be nice to see the host name of the VM there too. Also, when resizing a virtual disk, it is not intuitively clear that the number of GiB you put in the field is what gets added as opposed to the new size of the drive. I know it is not a big deal if you RTFM, but why should I have to for something that simple. A bit of text to say something like, "GiB to add to virtual disk" or something would cover it. I agree with a lot of what you are saying in this. I do not agree with how you showed the VM configuration along the top. Things are complex already, hiding options such that I have to hunt for them will make it a more frustrating experience for someone like me that does not go into the management UI all that much. I can understand doing this in an enterprise environment where the admins work with it all day, so maybe this should be optional.

[@chupacabrajr4152]

valid points, sir

[@sevilnatas]

Do 3rd party Proxmox admin UIs exist?

[@2GuysTek]

I have heard there are ways to augment the existing UI, however that's as much as I know - I am unaware of any whole-cloth alternative UIs though.

[@whatevah666]

Only one type of vms? there are vm AND lxc in proxmox... is that's what you are getting at ? :) Also, thanks for dor actually being able to change things like one wants, because optinions and personal preferences are just that, personal :)

[@2GuysTek]

Don't forget that in folder view, if you have containers, you have a dedicated 'containers' location in the nav pane, which means they won't show in the virtual machines collection.

[@45Drives]

Great video!

[@gabrielpi314]

The longer I use Proxmox, the more I come to the conclusion that the core team are terminal people and the UI is viewed as a necessary evil. There's a mountain of functionality available via the CLI or in the raw text configs that isn't in the UI. Lord help you if you swap out a NIC, the identifiers change, and you aren't familiar with /etc/network/interfaces config, ip and ifup commands. I love that the power is there, and I've gotten a lot out of it, but there are tons of people out there who will probably never find out about it.

[@Darkk6969]

Yep. Nice thing about using CLI is you can script these things to whatever you want.

[@roberthealey7238]

File UI bug/enhancement report with proxmox with all these suggestions?

[@2GuysTek]

Wonder if I can just drop a link to this video in there! 😂

[@n0ahg1]

My required change would be to change vmids to uuids, even easier with your changes!

[@2GuysTek]

Yes!

[@BrentLeVasseur]

When will Proxmox come to Arm?

[@monish05m]

A hard no to removal of ID's, a hard yes to everything else.

[@Tr1pke]

Oh please don’t remove the TAGS and VMID for everyone, 90% of your suggestions I’m against lol

[@michaelbpharris]

Were even some of this happen. I would absolutely rethink XCP-ng. I am coming from an Enterprise production VMware environment.

[@juliomaldonadomourelle6245]

I would prefer tag view instead of folder view

[@samegoi]

Great idea.

[@yotubemcka8601]

I really hope Proxmox does your GUI changes. It is really Proxmox DEV's take on your ideas. Your ideas really makes the UI really modern and usable. I agree as an Admin there are things missing that would just make life easier. Having to drop to the SHELL to get info is a Pain. Not to mention the GUI option of putting a Host into Maintenance mode. Yes i know it can be done via CLI BUT at least add it to the GUI.

[@yotubemcka8601]

Did proxmox ever get in touch with you re your great UI ideas

[@dlfzstuff4343]

Love the Product but it needs This to make the user experience complete Awesome Video !!!!!!!!!

[@netsudro]

Actual useful input!

[@pipoviola]

Great analysis!

[@stocky9803]

They could easily make most of this just another theme so if you like the legacy way, stick with that. If you like the more modern cleaner look than you go with that

[@Mustafa-vz4uo]

I like it really hope proxmox work on their ugly UI And you forget the login page need to be redesign And this white background is ugly they could changed it and add some icon next the host information for example icon of machine it will be great

[@justepic7029]

This is why I don’t leave ESXI for our lab. We have many production proxmoxs in the wild, but they do basic virtualizations. I managed 1000s of VMs and proxmox organization is terrible for this which is why I am married to VMware. Good video. But it’s never going to happen for a long time.

[@Kylle812]

I wouldnt mind proxmox looked like that

[@patricklogan6089]

Good stuff

[@ionzubia7037]

You could say that you have vspherize the GUI but I love it... it's so much better! 🙌

[@2GuysTek]

And you're not wrong! Bridging the best of both worlds maybe?

[@EmperorTerran]

nice

[@hawwestin]

The audacity of Not CLI guy 😂

[@Lunolux]

nice video

[@cpuuk]

What he said ;-)

[@kjstech1982]

I love all of these hypothetical changes. I think the current Proxmox UI is very dated and cluttered. You happened to clean it up. Why not give the user to right click and add the vm ID as a column if they want. Next after your layout changes, we could modernize the gui with modern style sheets, fonts, icons and color palette. I know the gui isn’t the most important thing, but making it look modern and easy to use will just aid new admins coming from other solutions like VMware.

[@TonyWilliamson77]

Sooo you want VMware functionality in Proxmox ...

[@RainMan52]

VMProx

[@2GuysTek]

Best of both worlds?

[@DavidMBebber]

Proxware?

[@nickdonathan]

I think there is some very valid suggestions and criticism here… but I’m getting real tired of hearing “This is how it’s done in VMware.” You could state all the reasons you like something better without drawing the comparison or even mentioning VMware. This talking pattern just says “I hate change and want a VMware clone that I don’t have to pay for.” Your ideas are great. Your presentation and enthusiasm is great… just work on not making everything a comparison to VMware. You’ve done that extensively already. Ex: Tell me why a folder view would help. Not that you just liked it better when using another product. I just want to hear the why, how, and benefits in the context of the product you are talking about.

[@michaelventarola7100]

I agree with your recommendation, but I doubht proxmox will make any changes you recommend.

[@2GuysTek]

Here's hoping! I figured it doesn't hurt to throw out some suggestions and see if they bite!

[@teamvigod]

i hope proxmox is listening. His UI mockup is in fact better UI/UX design. Not that proxmox is terrible. This is just improvements. Like apple each year minor improvements to something already good. Glado to hear he believes proxmox is ready for enterprise also

[@tactoad]

Bro imagine complaining about space and having fqdn as name 😂. The GUI is not perfect but there are reasons for those decisions when running VMs at scale. If you want vcenter just run vmware.

[@suntoryjim]

Don't ESX my Proxmox.

[@2GuysTek]

🤣

[@ernestoditerribile]

I like the folders like VMWare in Proxmox and making a separate tags folder. The rest is just eye candy and unnecessary.

[@hanley-development]

Ha this kills me. Don't mess with perfection... If you want VMware go back to VMware

[@nordee]

Actually terrible ideas. Removing the 2nd menu is absolute bad because if you would work with Proxmox on a day-by-day basis you would know that hiding that menu behind a top-row with hover-function is stealing so much of your precious admin time. Also, sorting can be done wonderfully with resource groups. For a semi-interested user, these changes can be made but for professionals, the current setup safes so much time! You probably support removing the old system-configuration-panel from Windows aswell and put in the new "tiles". Its just not practical for any admin at all.

[@Tr1pke]

Nope, I like it better how it is now, yours is ugly sorry

[@robluce6334]

Get rid of the VMID? No. Strip out everything useful in the UI? Hell no. There are a few things in this video that I agree with, but the majority of your UI changes are awful. All you want is pretty, while stripping everything useful out of it. You are dead to me.

[@ividusee3587]

I was skipping through the long and boring introduction to the point where he was whining about the VMs naming conventions, and how he as an "admin" found it weird not to be able to use spaces in VMs naming in 2024. He really lost me there, I was like what the ... Hey wannabe-admin, a real admin won't use spaces even in naming a simple file (not even a windows noob admin), why? Well, you might want to search the following: probability issue, length, program interpretation, script, shell, source, path, etc. Others might find your content useful, I personally apart from the clickbait title, I think you just wasted 5 minutes of my time and 10 minutes of yours. Good luck, though.

[@2GuysTek]

Oh, you’re a real joy.

[@espressomatic]

Proxmox *IS* the UI. And it's complete crap. Lots of other (better) ways to run KVM/QEMU.

[@jeffvoight6586]

It's opensource. You could submit a PR.

[@2GuysTek]

You think they’d accept a link to a YT video as the PR? 😂