Proxmox VE is a powerful open-source virtualisation platform trusted by businesses for its flexibility, cost efficiency and stability. Like any virtual environment, performing regular Proxmox backup is critical to protect against risks such as hardware failures, cyberattacks or accidental data loss.
While Proxmox offers built-in backup options, many organisations face challenges with scalability, performance and long-term reliability. That’s why choosing the right Proxmox backup software is essential for securing data, optimising storage, and enabling fast recovery. Read this post to explore the best solutions in 2025 and learn how to back up Proxmox effectively.
Essential Features in Backup Software for Proxmox
The best backup software for Proxmox VE needs to go beyond basic capabilities. An ideal solution should offer the following features:
Proxmox agentless backup- Legacy methods that rely on installing backup agents inside guest operating systems are inefficient for protecting virtual machines.
In Proxmox environments, agentless backup provides VM-level protection without requiring agents, using native APIs to create image-based backups directly at the hypervisor level. This approach enables advanced features such as change block tracking, VM quiescing for application-consistent backups and more.
Performance benefits and compatibility- Proxmox backup software should ensure high performance when it comes to backing up and recovering VMs. High-performance features ensure shorter Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective values.
As a result, you have less data loss and downtime. Compatibility with Windows and Linux guest operating systems is a must-have feature. Compatibility with a large number of storage types is highly sought after.
Backup to NAS integration- Storing Proxmox backups on the same server as the original VMs is not recommended. Reliable Proxmox backup software must support multiple storage locations. NAS devices, including file shares, are common storage types to store backups outside the original Proxmox hosts.
Installing a Proxmox backup solution on a NAS is another method to back up Proxmox VMs and store these backups on the NAS device.
Automated backup workflows- Manual backups are prone to error, and they require more time and attention. Modern solutions must include backup scheduling and automation.
Flexible retention settings- Keeping every backup indefinitely wastes storage. The best Proxmox backup software should offer flexible retention settings to automatically remove unneeded recovery points while preserving important backups for optimal efficiency.
Encryption and ransomware protection- Ransomware remains one of the most serious threats to data security. Backup immutability is a highly effective defense, preventing backups from being altered or deleted within a set retention period. Encryption further safeguards data by blocking unauthorised access from third parties.
Top Proxmox Backup Solutions
Let’s review the top data protection solution for Proxmox VM backup and recovery.
NAKIVO Backup & Replication
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a comprehensive data protection solution that supports agentless backup for Proxmox. It is fast and affordable for organisations of all sizes. The main features of this solution are:.
- A user-friendly web interface enables complete management from a single pane of glass.
- Incremental with periodic full backups (active full and synthetic full).
- Backup automation: You can configure backup workflows to run automatically.
- Scheduling and retention: Configuring complex scheduling and retention schemes with the GFS retention policy.
- Full and granular recovery: Recover full VMs to the source or destination host or cluster. Recovery of files, directories and application objects (MS SQL Server, Exchange, Active Directory) is supported. Backup export to another virtualisation platform (VMware, Hyper-V) is also possible.
- Backup immutability and encryption: Store immutable backups locally or in the cloud (Amazon S3 and S3-compatible storage). Source-side and target-side encryption is supported.
- Backup to NAS: Proxmox VE backup with NAKIVO can be installed on a NAS to create a backup appliance. You can also back up Proxmox VMs on SMB or NFS file shares.
- Multiple storage destinations: You can back up VMs to local backup repositories, scalable federated repositories, tape and cloud.
- Backup verification to ensure that VMs can be restored.
NAKIVO offers five paid editions, each with either perpetual or subscription licenses. Download the NAKIVO Backup & Replication Free 15-day Trial to test the solution in your environment.
Proxmox Backup Server
Proxmox Backup Server is a native backup tool for Proxmox, developed in Rust. Unlike the other Proxmox backup software in this guide, it is open-source. Designed as a client-server solution, it can back up virtual machines, containers and hosts both on-premises and remotely.
- Tight integration with Proxmox VE: Proxmox Backup Server works seamlessly with Proxmox Virtual Environment. This allows you to configure backup activities directly in the Proxmox web interface.
- Incremental backups: They only transfer the changed blocks of data, which are deduplicated on the backup server.
- Deduplication and compression: The Zstandard (ZSTD) compression algorithm is used to compress data.
- Encryption: Source-side encryption using AES-256.
- Remote synchronisation: You can easily synchronise backup data from one PBS to another. This is a crucial feature for implementing an off-site backup strategy for disaster recovery.
- Retention settings allow you to schedule tasks from a server or run them manually from a client.
- Backup to tape and S3-compatible storage is supported.
- Ransomware protection is available with off-server and off-site synchronisation. Data for existing blocks is not rewritten.
- Full and granular recovery options are available.
Regarding licensing options, Proxmox Backup Server is free.
Veeam Backup & Replication
Veeam Backup & Replication protects Proxmox VE through a dedicated plugin. This allows you to manage backups of your Proxmox virtual machines from the centralised Veeam console, performing backup and recovery tasks across your infrastructure. This solution includes various features, such as:
- Agentless VM backup without the need to install a backup agent in the guest OS. LSC container support is present.
- Creating multiple instances of backups and storing them in different locations.
- Full recovery of VMs and granular recovery for files, directories and application objects.
- Forever-forward-incremental backup is supported.
- Retention policies support the Grandfather-Father-Son policy.
- Security is ensured by AES-256 encryption. The SureBackup feature is used for backup verification.
A per-workload licensing model is used for Proxmox VE. The Veeam Universal License must be used for Proxmox VM backup.
Acronis Cyber Backup
Acronis Cyber Protect also added support for Proxmox VE, allowing you to back up your virtual machines and containers. The main features are:
- Agentless backup: You can back up Proxmox VMs without installing an agent into the guest OS.
- Unified cyber protection: A major differentiator for Acronis is the integration of backup with cybersecurity features. When backing up your Proxmox VMs, Acronis can perform a malware scan to ensure you don't restore infected files.
- Full, granular and cross-platform recovery: You can recover full VMs, specific files, and recover a machine from a Proxmox VM backup to another virtualisation platform or even to a physical machine.
- A centralised web interface for all management tasks.
- Security features include data encryption and backup immutability. The integrated anti-malware and anti-ransomware protection further strengthens the overall security.
- Incremental and forever-incremental backups are supported.
Acronis offers a per-workload or per-machine licensing model for Proxmox, which is part of their broader subscription-based Cyber Protect platform.
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise is a solution with a scalable and modular architecture that supports Proxmox backup. The main features include:
- Agentless backups are image-level and snapshot-based. Bacula Enterprise uses a dedicated plugin installed on the Proxmox host, eliminating the need to install agents on VMs.
- Full and incremental backup modes are supported. Scheduling and automation options are available.
- Full VM recovery and file-level recovery for different scenarios.
- Different types of backup media are supported (disk, tape, cloud).
- High scalability and centralised management. Bacula is an enterprise-grade backup solution that is optimised for large and complex environments. The BWeb Management Suite provides a unified interface for scheduling, monitoring and reporting.
A significant feature of Bacula Enterprise is its licensing model, which is typically not based on the amount of data. This can be a major advantage for large enterprises with rapidly growing data volumes, as it provides a predictable and scalable cost structure.
The Best Way to Back up Proxmox: Implementation Guide
If you choose to back up Proxmox VMs to a NAS, prepare your environment by setting up the NAS device.
Proxmox Backup to NAS Setup
- Network configuration requirements: A fast network speed is recommended for Proxmox backup to NAS. Try to use a network speed of 1 Gbit/s or higher.
- Storage capacity planning: Before creating a backup repository on a NAS device or backup server, estimate the initial and future backup storage usage.
Backup Strategy Essentials
- Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: Have at least three copies of the data, with two copies located on different media and one stored offsite.
- Follow the automated scheduling best practices: Schedule backup jobs when servers and VMs are less loaded. This approach can prevent server and network overloading.
Performance Optimization
Network bandwidth considerations- If your network bandwidth is limited and you don’t want to negatively impact the production environment, consider enabling bandwidth throttling for backup jobs. Configure bandwidth throttling in the Proxmox backup software and schedule its use during peak hours of high traffic.
Backup window planning- Try to run Proxmox VM backup in non-working hours, such as at night and during the weekend. Note that enabling backup encryption and compression consumes processor resources.
Choosing the Best Proxmox Backup Software
Choosing the right Proxmox backup software is essential for protecting virtual machines, containers and business-critical data. For managed service providers, identifying the best MSP backup solutions that support multi-tenancy, centralised management, and scalable licensing is particularly important for efficiently serving multiple clients.
With features like immutability, encryption and flexible recovery options, the best enterprise data protection software goes far beyond basic backup functions. By implementing a reliable solution, you can safeguard against data loss, optimise storage and ensure fast recovery when needed.