Kubernetes vs Proxmox – Container Orchestration with Virtualization
Nov 23rd, 2025 | 8 min read
Table Of Contents
- Kubernetes for Modern Application Deployment
- Proxmox for Virtualization and Hybrid Infrastructure
- Key Difference for Kubernetes vs Proxmox
- Running Postgres on Kubernetes vs Proxmox
- How Simplyblock Supports Both Kubernetes and Proxmox
- Making the Right Choice Between Kubernetes and Proxmox
- See other comparisons :
- Questions and answers
As organizations modernize their infrastructure, choosing the right platform is crucial. Kubernetes offers a powerful solution for container orchestration and cloud-native applications, while Proxmox focuses on providing a unified platform for managing virtual machines and containers.
This post will compare the two platforms, examining their core functionalities, benefits, and challenges, helping you decide which one aligns best with your infrastructure goals.
Kubernetes for Modern Application Deployment
Kubernetes is the industry-leading platform for container orchestration, enabling organizations to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It’s designed to handle large-scale, dynamic environments, and it is ideal for modern cloud-native applications, microservices, and DevOps workflows.
Its robust features ensure high availability, efficient resource utilization, and portability across various infrastructure providers, solidifying its role as a foundational technology for modern software delivery.
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Key Benefits of Kubernetes
Kubernetes provides many advantages for organizations looking to automate and scale their infrastructure.
- Enables automatic scaling of containers based on traffic or resource demand.
- Provides self-healing features that ensure applications remain available by automatically restarting failed containers.
- Supports multi-cloud and hybrid cloud deployments, offering flexibility for infrastructure needs.
- Simplifies continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes for faster deployment.
How Kubernetes Supports Cloud-Native Workloads
Cloud-native applications require dynamic scaling, automation, and high availability, which Kubernetes handles seamlessly.
- Designed for managing microservices and containerized applications in cloud environments.
- Optimized for multi-cloud infrastructure, enabling workload portability.
- Provides integrated service discovery, load balancing, and networking features.
- Facilitates efficient management of distributed applications with high availability across nodes.
Challenges with Kubernetes at Scale
While Kubernetes is powerful, managing it at scale presents some challenges.
- Requires specialized expertise to manage clusters and troubleshoot issues in large environments.
- Persistent storage management can be complex, especially for stateful applications like databases.
- Resource consumption can be significant when managing large, high-availability clusters.
- Hybrid and multi-cloud deployments may require complex configurations and third-party integrations.
Proxmox for Virtualization and Hybrid Infrastructure
Proxmox is a powerful open-source platform designed for managing virtual machines (VMs) and containers in a hyperconverged infrastructure setup. With Proxmox, users can easily manage both virtualized workloads and containerized applications on the same platform.
It provides a unified solution for managing IT infrastructure, supporting both KVM-based virtual machines and LXC-based containers, making it an excellent choice for businesses that need flexible, cost-effective virtualization management.
Key Features of Proxmox
Proxmox integrates the functionality of both virtualization and container management into a single platform, making it highly flexible.
- Support for VMs and containers using KVM and LXC.
- Built-in backup and snapshot capabilities for VM and container workloads.
- Offers high availability clustering for both virtual machines and containers.
- Centralized management with Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) through an intuitive web interface.
Proxmox for Hybrid and On-Prem Infrastructure
Proxmox shines in environments where virtualization is key, particularly for hybrid infrastructures.
- Easily integrates with existing on-prem infrastructure, supporting a range of storage solutions.
- Enables seamless cloud integration for hybrid cloud architectures.
- Highly efficient for VM workloads, especially for traditional applications.
- Suitable for businesses needing flexible solutions for running mixed environments of containers and virtual machines.
Proxmox Challenges in Cloud-Native Environments
While Proxmox is highly effective for virtualization, it faces some challenges in cloud-native environments.
- Lacks the advanced features and scalability needed for large-scale container orchestration like Kubernetes.
- Managing microservices in Proxmox can be more complex compared to a native Kubernetes solution.
- Integration with cloud-native tools and Kubernetes tools requires third-party solutions.
- Lacks automation tools for CI/CD pipelines typically used in cloud-native workflows.
Key Difference for Kubernetes vs Proxmox
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Kubernetes and Proxmox, providing a quick overview of how these platforms differ in managing modern applications and virtualized workloads.
| Category | Kubernetes | Proxmox |
| Core Purpose | Container orchestration for cloud-native apps | Virtualization and container management |
| Primary Use Case | Managing cloud-native workloads and microservices | Managing virtual machines and containers in hybrid/on-prem environments |
| Deployment Model | Primarily designed for cloud or hybrid cloud | Primarily on-premise or hybrid infrastructures |
| Scalability | Scales horizontally for containers and clusters | Scales VMs and containers across hardware resources |
| Management Interface | CLI, API, and Kubernetes Dashboard | Web-based GUI for centralized VM and container management |
| Flexibility | Highly flexible for cloud-native apps and microservices | Best suited for virtualization, supporting both VMs and LXC containers |
| Cloud Integration | Native support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments | Hybrid cloud support with integration for external storage |
| Automation | Built-in CI/CD pipeline support for automation | Lacks native CI/CD integration, requires external tools for automation |
Running Postgres on Kubernetes vs Proxmox
Deploying Postgres on Kubernetes leverages the platform’s container orchestration for dynamic scaling and high availability, ideal for modern workloads. Meanwhile, Proxmox offers a more traditional virtualization approach, focusing on VM-based infrastructure with reliable storage management for Postgres.
If Postgres is the main workload you care about, it’s often easier to treat it as a platform rather than something you hand-roll on top of your virtualization choice. Vela is a Postgres platform by Simplyblock that runs on Kubernetes, providing high-performance PostgreSQL with built-in automation, backups, and scaling.
How Simplyblock Supports Both Kubernetes and Proxmox
Both Kubernetes and Proxmox require reliable and scalable storage solutions for persistent workloads. While Kubernetes is focused on automating container orchestration, Proxmox specializes in managing virtual machines and containers within hybrid infrastructures.
Simplyblock integrates seamlessly with both platforms, providing a unified storage solution that ensures high performance, scalability, and flexibility across diverse environments.
Storage Needs in Kubernetes Clusters
In Kubernetes, applications often need persistent storage that can scale independently of containers.
- Provides reliable storage for containerized stateful applications.
- Enables dynamic provisioning and scaling of storage as container workloads grow.
- Ensures data consistency for stateful applications like databases.
- Facilitates cloud-native storage that can be used across multi-cloud environments.
Managing Storage for Virtual Machines in Proxmox
Proxmox is designed to handle both VMs and containers, but requires efficient storage management to support both.
- Supports flexible storage configurations across different virtual machines and containers.
- Integrates with distributed storage systems like Ceph, offering high availability.
- Simplifies backup and recovery with built-in storage features for VMs.
- Ensures seamless scaling of storage alongside VM and container workloads.
Why Simplyblock is the Right Fit for Both Platforms
Simplyblock’s high-performance, software-defined storage solution is ideal for organizations running both Kubernetes and Proxmox environments.
- NVMe-over-TCP ensures ultra-low latency and high throughput for all types of workloads.
- Multi-cloud compatibility allows you to manage storage across on-prem and cloud environments.
- Fully integrates with Kubernetes CSI drivers and Proxmox storage layers for seamless deployment.
- Snapshots, replication, and disaster recovery features protect data while enabling flexible scaling across workloads.
Making the Right Choice Between Kubernetes and Proxmox
When deciding between Kubernetes and Proxmox, it comes down to your specific needs.
- Kubernetes is ideal for cloud-native apps and container orchestration at scale, particularly in multi-cloud environments.
- On the other hand, Proxmox shines in managing VMs and containers in on-prem and hybrid environments.
Both platforms benefit from Simplyblock’s high-performance, scalable storage, ensuring seamless data management for your infrastructure.
See other comparisons :
Take a look at how these platforms measure up.
- VMware vs Kubernetes
- Kubernetes vs OpenStack
- Kubernetes vs Harvester
- Proxmox vs Talos
- Proxmox vs Harvester
Questions and answers
Kubernetes is a platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, designed for cloud-native and microservice environments. Proxmox, on the other hand, is a virtualization management solution that supports both virtual machines (VMs) and containers, primarily for hybrid or on-prem infrastructure.
Choose Kubernetes if your organization is focused on deploying cloud-native applications, managing large-scale microservices, and automating container orchestration in hybrid or multi-cloud environments. Kubernetes is ideal for highly dynamic, scalable workloads that require automation, high availability, and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
Proxmox is more suited for managing traditional virtualized environments and hybrid infrastructure, where you need to run both VMs and containers. While it supports containerized applications via LXC, it lacks the advanced features Kubernetes offers for large-scale container orchestration, microservices, and cloud-native application management.
In Kubernetes, managing persistent storage for stateful applications like databases can be complex, especially with dynamic provisioning and scaling. Simplyblock addresses this by providing scalable, high-performance cloud-native storage that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes, enabling consistent storage for containerized applications and allowing dynamic storage scaling across multi-cloud environments.
Yes, Proxmox excels in environments that require a mix of VMs and containers. It offers robust support for KVM-based VMs and LXC containers, making it ideal for managing hybrid workloads. However, Proxmox does require efficient storage solutions, like those provided by Simplyblock, to ensure high availability and seamless scaling of both VMs and containers.