Setting up Cloud Init Ubuntu Image on Proxmox

This post shows a compact, repeatable flow for creating a Cloud-Init based Ubuntu template in Proxmox so you can spin up configured VMs quickly.

Quick run: download an Ubuntu cloud image, import it into Proxmox, add a Cloud-Init drive, set boot order, convert to a template, then clone.

You will need:

• A Proxmox VE host with LVM (or other writable storage like local-lvm)
• SSH or shell access to your Proxmox host
• A public SSH key (for injecting into cloud-init)

Quick checklist

• Download cloud image
• Create a small VM (temporary)
• Import disk, attach to VM
• Add cloud-init drive and configure user/ssh
• Convert VM to template
• Clone when needed

Step-by-step

1) Download the Ubuntu cloud image

Choose the release you prefer and download the cloud image. Example (Focal):

wget https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/focal/current/focal-server-cloudimg-amd64.img

2) Create a temporary VM to attach the image to

Adjust memory and CPU to taste — this VM will become the template.

qm create 8000 --memory 2048 --core 2 --name ubuntu-cloud --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0

3) Import the cloud image into storage

Import the downloaded image into a Proxmox storage pool (example uses local-lvm):

qm importdisk 8000 focal-server-cloudimg-amd64.img local-lvm

4) Attach the imported disk to the VM (SCSI recommended)

qm set 8000 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci --scsi0 local-lvm:vm-8000-disk-0

5) Add the Cloud-Init drive

qm set 8000 --ide2 local-lvm:cloudinit

6) Make the VM boot from the disk

qm set 8000 --boot c --bootdisk scsi0

7) Add a serial console (optional, helpful for headless debugging)

qm set 8000 --serial0 socket --vga serial0

8) Configure Cloud-Init fields (hostname, user, SSH key)

You can set these with the GUI or via qm set. Example CLI:

qm set 8000 --ciuser ubuntu --sshkey "$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"
qm set 8000 --citype nocloud

If you want to provide a full user-data/meta-data payload for NoCloud, you can supply files or use Proxmox GUI fields.

9) Convert the VM to a template

qm template 8000

10) Clone the template whenever you need a new VM

qm clone 8000 135 --name yoshi

Tips

• Resize disks after cloning if you need per-VM different sizes; keep the template small.
• Put idempotent provisioning (Ansible, cloud-init modules) in the guest rather than baking many steps into the template.

Troubleshooting

If you accidentally booted a template (or need a fresh machine-id inside a guest):

sudo rm -f /etc/machine-id
sudo rm -f /var/lib/dbus/machine-id

Shutdown the VM and do not boot it; a new id will be generated on next boot. If it’s not generated automatically, run:

sudo systemd-machine-id-setup

If cloud-init doesn’t apply after cloning, verify the cloud-init datasource type and that Proxmox’s cloud-init fields are populated correctly for the new host.

Key Takeaways

• Cloud-init templates save hours per VM when you deploy regularly
• Never start a VM before configuring cloud-init — booting early bakes state into the template
• Keep the template minimal; use idempotent provisioning (Ansible, cloud-init modules) for post-clone customization
• Always use SCSI for the imported disk for performance
• Reset machine-id after cloning if cloud-init doesn’t apply correctly

Next

• The Proxmox Utility Toolkit — tools and scripts for VM management, backups, and automation on Proxmox
• Homelab Ops Series: API Key Management for Automated Provisioning — managing credentials homelab automation without scattered secrets