Many new project in a home lab start the same way – create a VM, install Ubuntu, run updates, install the basics, SSH in, and finally get to the actual work. A Proxmox VM template short-circuits all of that. Build it once, clone it in seconds for every new VM you need. This guide walks through creating a clean Ubuntu 26.04 Server template in Proxmox that you can reuse across the entire series.
🎥 Watch the Video Tutorial
💡 Why Use a Template?
Without a template, every new VM means sitting through the Ubuntu installer, waiting for updates, installing the same tools, setting the same preferences – every single time. A Proxmox template captures a fully configured, up-to-date base image and lets you clone it instantly. The clone takes seconds, boots straight to a ready system, and only needs a rename and any service-specific configuration before it’s usable.
For a home lab where you’re spinning up VMs regularly – Docker hosts, domain controllers, monitoring servers, AI VMs – a reusable template is one of the highest-leverage things you can set up. Build it once, clone it forever.
🛠 What You’ll Need
- Proxmox VE installed – see: Proxmox VE Home Lab Setup
- Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS ISO – uploaded to Proxmox
📋 Step-by-Step Setup
1. Create the Ubuntu Server VM
In the Proxmox web UI click Create VM. The template VM doesn’t need large resources – it’s a base image. Here are the settings used in this guide:
- Name:
template– naming it literally \”template\” is deliberate. When you clone it later, you’ll be forced to rename the clone, which prevents accidentally running something still called \”template\” in production - OS: Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS ISO. Type: Linux
- System: Machine:
q35, BIOS: SeaBIOS – no TPM needed for Ubuntu Server - Disk: 32 GB – a reasonable base size that leaves room for updates and tool installation without being oversized
- CPU: 4 cores
- Memory: 4096 MB (4 GB)
- Network: VirtIO on the default bridge (
vmbr0)
Click Finish, start the VM, and open the Console.
2. Install Ubuntu Server 26.04
Work through the Ubuntu Server installer. The key choices:
- Language and keyboard: your preference – English US keyboard covers most setups
- Installation type: Ubuntu Server (not minimised)
- Network: let it pick up a DHCP address – this is fine for a template
- Proxy: leave blank unless your network requires one
- Mirror: wait for the mirror test to complete before continuing – skipping it can cause package errors later
- Storage: Use the entire disk. Do not set up an LVM group
- SSH: enable OpenSSH during installation
- Additional snaps: skip – install only what you need after
sudo growpart /dev/sda 2 && sudo resize2fs /dev/sda2 inside the VM.3. First login and updates
After the install completes and the VM reboots, log in and run a full system update immediately. This ensures the template starts from a current, patched base rather than the ISO release state:
sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -y
Reboot after updates complete:
sudo reboot
4. Install essential tools
Install the tools that belong on every server in your lab before converting to a template – anything you always find yourself installing first:
sudo apt install -y tmux curl
Why these two specifically:
- tmux – terminal multiplexer. Keeps sessions alive if your SSH connection drops during long-running operations like updates, installs, or Docker pulls. Essential for any remote server work
- curl – used by almost every install script and download command you’ll run. Often already present but worth confirming
git, vim, htop, qemu-guest-agent for Proxmox integration, or docker if you want a Docker-ready template. The goal is to capture everything that goes on every machine so you never have to think about it again.5. Shut down the VM cleanly
Before converting to a template, shut down the VM cleanly – don’t just stop it from Proxmox:
sudo poweroff
Wait for the VM status to show Stopped in the Proxmox web UI before proceeding.
6. Convert to a Proxmox template
In the Proxmox web UI, right-click the VM in the left panel and select Convert to Template. Confirm the prompt. The VM icon changes to a template icon – it can no longer be started directly, only cloned.
7. Clone the template for a new VM
Whenever you need a new Ubuntu Server VM, right-click the template → Clone:
- Mode: Full Clone – creates a completely independent copy of the disk. Linked clones are faster to create but depend on the template remaining intact
- Name: give it the actual name of the service you’re building (e.g.
wazuh,ollama,docker-01) - Target storage: leave as default
Click Clone. The new VM appears in the list within seconds. Start it, SSH in, and you’re at a fully updated Ubuntu Server prompt – ready to install whatever service you’re building.
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname new-name then update /etc/hosts to match. A VM still called \”template\” after cloning causes confusion in SSH known hosts, log files, and Tailscale device names.✅ Conclusion
You now have a reusable Ubuntu 26.04 Server template in Proxmox. Every future VM in your home lab starts from a clean, updated, SSH-ready base – no more sitting through the Ubuntu installer for every new project. Clone it, rename it, install the service you need, and you’re done. This template is the foundation for the Ollama, Docker, Wazuh, and Active Directory VMs used throughout this series.
📺 Watch the full video guide here: https://youtu.be/DIUlCwiE3A0
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