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kombify and Proxmox VE are both popular in the homelab community but serve fundamentally different purposes.
TL;DR: Proxmox is a hypervisor for running VMs/containers. kombify orchestrates what runs inside those VMs/containers. They’re complementary, not competing.

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Quick Comparison

AspectkombifyProxmox VE
TypeOrchestration platformHypervisor
Primary FunctionService deployment & lifecycleVM/Container hosting
Runs onAny Linux with DockerBare metal
ManagesServices & configurationsVMs & LXC containers
IaCNative (CUE + YAML spec)API/Terraform provider
TestingBuilt-in simulationSeparate VMs needed

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Understanding the Difference

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Layer Model

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Your Services                   │  ← kombify manages this
│  (Traefik, Immich, Home Assistant, etc.)    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Docker Compose                  │  ← Container runtime
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Linux VMs / LXC                 │  ← Proxmox manages this
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Proxmox VE Hypervisor           │  ← Proxmox manages this
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│              Physical Hardware               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Proxmox VE

Hypervisor & Resource ManagerProxmox handles:
  • Creating/managing VMs
  • LXC container isolation
  • Storage (ZFS, Ceph, NFS)
  • Networking (bridges, VLANs)
  • Backups & snapshots
  • Clustering & HA

kombify

Service Orchestrationkombify handles:
  • Deploying applications
  • Service configuration
  • Dependency management
  • SSL/TLS certificates
  • Authentication (SSO)
  • Monitoring & logging

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Detailed Comparison

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Use Case: Building a Homelab

With just Proxmox, your workflow is:
  1. Install Proxmox on bare metal
  2. Create a VM
  3. Install Linux manually
  4. SSH in, install Docker
  5. Write docker-compose.yml files
  6. Configure networking manually
  7. Set up reverse proxy manually
  8. Configure SSL manually
  9. Set up monitoring manually
  10. Repeat for each service…
Time investment: Days to weeksChallenges:
  • No service templates
  • Manual configuration everywhere
  • Testing = create more VMs
  • Drift between documentation and reality

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Configuration Management

Proxmox doesn’t manage what runs inside VMs. You need additional tools:
# Ansible example (separate tool needed)
- hosts: homelab-vm
  tasks:
    - name: Install Docker
      apt:
        name: docker.io
        state: present
    
    - name: Deploy Traefik
      docker_compose:
        project_src: /opt/traefik
    
    # ... lots more manual configuration
Challenges:
  • Learn Ansible or similar
  • Write playbooks from scratch
  • Manage secrets separately
  • No validation before apply
# kombination.yaml - everything in one place
stackkit: base-kit

nodes:
  - name: proxmox-vm-01
    connection:
      host: 192.168.1.50

services:
  - traefik
  - authelia
  - homepage
  - immich

config:
  domain: home.example.com
Benefits:
  • Single file defines everything
  • Validated against schemas
  • Secrets handled securely
  • Test before deploy

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Backup & Recovery

ScenarioProxmoxkombify
VM-level backup✅ Snapshots, PBSN/A (not a hypervisor)
Application config backup❌ Manual✅ Git-based (kombination.yaml)
Disaster recoveryRestore from snapshotRedeploy from YAML
Recovery timeDepends on backup sizeMinutes (redeploy)
Best practice: Use Proxmox for VM-level backups AND store your kombination.yaml in Git. This gives you both infrastructure and configuration recovery options.

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Clustering & High Availability

Proxmox Cluster

VM-level HA:
  • Automatic VM failover
  • Shared storage (Ceph, NFS)
  • Live migration
  • Fencing for split-brain
Scope: VMs move between hosts

kombify HA

Application-level HA:
  • Service redundancy
  • Load balancing
  • Health checks
  • Automatic restart
Scope: Services stay available
Using both together: Proxmox handles node-level failures (hardware issues), while kombify’s High Availability Kit handles service-level resilience.

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Common Architectures

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Architecture 1: Single Proxmox Host

Physical Server
└── Proxmox VE
    ├── VM: kombify-controller
    │   └── kombify TechStack + Services
    └── VM: truenas (storage)
When to use: Beginners, single server homelabs

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Architecture 2: Proxmox Cluster + kombify

Proxmox Cluster (3 nodes)
├── Node 1
│   ├── VM: kombify-stack
│   └── VM: worker-01
├── Node 2
│   └── VM: worker-02
└── Node 3
    ├── VM: worker-03
    └── LXC: shared-services
When to use: Multiple servers, need VM-level HA

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Architecture 3: Bare Metal + kombify (No Proxmox)

Physical Servers
├── Server 1: kombify TechStack + Docker
├── Server 2: Docker worker
└── Server 3: Docker worker
When to use: Maximum performance, container-only workloads

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When to Use Each

Use Proxmox when...

  • You need true VMs (Windows, different Linux distros)
  • Hardware passthrough (GPU, USB) is required
  • You want VM-level snapshots/backups
  • You need LXC containers for isolation
  • Multiple diverse workloads on one machine
  • Learning virtualization concepts

Use kombify when...

  • Your workloads are containerized (Docker)
  • You want guided, opinionated setup
  • Service configuration is your main challenge
  • You value testing before deployment
  • Infrastructure as Code is important
  • You’re building a modern homelab
Most homelabbers should use both! They solve different problems at different layers.

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Using Them Together

1

Install Proxmox

Install Proxmox VE on your bare-metal server(s).
2

Create VMs for kombify

Create Linux VMs (Ubuntu 22.04 recommended):
  • 1 VM for kombify TechStack controller
  • 1+ VMs for worker nodes
3

Install kombify TechStack

On the controller VM:
curl -fsSL https://get.kombify.dev | sh
4

Add worker nodes

Install kombify agent on each worker VM:
curl -fsSL https://your-stack-host/bootstrap.sh | sh
5

Deploy services

Create your kombination.yaml and deploy:
kombify simulate create  # Test first
kombify deploy      # Then deploy

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Proxmox Helper Scripts

The community maintains Proxmox VE Helper Scripts for quick LXC deployment. These are great for individual services but don’t provide the integrated management kombify offers. Comparison:
FeatureHelper Scriptskombify
SpeedVery fastFast
IntegrationManualAutomatic
ConfigurationPer-serviceCentralized
UpdatesManualManaged
TestingNoneBuilt-in

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Summary

Proxmox VEkombify
LayerHypervisorOrchestration
ManagesVMs & LXCServices & apps
Best forResource virtualizationService deployment
ReplacesESXi, Hyper-VManual Docker setup
Think of it like this: Proxmox is your building (walls, floors, utilities), while kombify is your furniture and decor (what makes it livable).

New to homelabs?

Start with kombify on a single machine, add Proxmox later if needed.

Already have Proxmox?

Install kombify in a VM and start orchestrating.