Deploying Next.js on a Proxmox LXC Container

No Docker. No VMs. Just a lean Linux container, pnpm, PM2, and Nginx — running in production.

Date: April 17, 2026 Self-Hosting Next.js Proxmox Linux pnpm

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Running a Next.js app in production doesn't have to mean spinning up a full virtual machine or wiring together a Docker stack. If you're already on Proxmox, LXC containers give you the isolation you need at a fraction of the resource cost. This is a walkthrough of exactly how we deployed the noc_allocation Next.js project on a Proxmox LXC container — from a blank container to a live app with a process manager and reverse proxy.

💡 LXC containers share the host kernel, making them faster to spin up and significantly lighter on RAM and CPU than full VMs — ideal for running Node.js apps on a homelab or internal server.

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The Stack

Layer	Tool
Container	Proxmox LXC (Ubuntu 22.04)
Runtime	Node.js v24
Package Manager	pnpm v10
Process Manager	PM2 v6
Reverse Proxy	Nginx

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Step 1 — Create the LXC Container

In the Proxmox web UI:

1. Go to CT Templates and download ubuntu-22.04-standard

2. Click Create CT and configure:

   • Hostname: noc-app

   • Disk: 8GB+

   • CPU: 1–2 cores

   • RAM: 512MB–1GB

   • Network: DHCP (or static IP)

3. Start the container and open its Shell

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Step 2 — Install Node.js and pnpm

Update the system and install Node.js 20 LTS via NodeSource:

# Update the system
apt update && apt upgrade -y
apt install -y curl git

# Install Node.js 20
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash -
apt install -y nodejs

Install pnpm and configure its global bin directory:

curl -fsSL https://get.pnpm.io/install.sh | sh -
source ~/.bashrc
pnpm setup
source ~/.bashrc

pnpm --version  # confirm

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Step 3 — Clone and Build the App

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

cd /opt
git clone https://github.com/Blackie360/noc_allocation.git
cd noc_allocation

pnpm install
pnpm build

⚠️ If your app uses environment variables, create a .env.local file before running pnpm build. Missing env vars during build can cause silent failures at runtime.

# Example .env.local
nano .env.local

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Step 4 — Install and Configure PM2

PM2 is a production process manager for Node.js. It keeps your app running in the background, restarts it on crashes, and hooks into systemd to survive container reboots.

Install PM2 globally via pnpm:

pnpm add -g pm2
pm2 --version  # confirm

Start the Next.js app:

pm2 start pnpm --name "noc_allocation" -- start

Check it's running:

pm2 status

You should see something like this:

Enable auto-start on container reboot:

pm2 save
pm2 startup systemd
# Copy and run the command it outputs, then:
pm2 save

PM2 writes a systemd service file at /etc/systemd/system/pm2-root.service and enables it automatically. Your app now survives container restarts without any manual intervention.

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Step 5 — Set Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

Next.js runs on port 3000 by default. Nginx sits in front of it on port 80, forwarding requests and handling connection upgrades for WebSocket support.

Install Nginx:

apt install -y nginx

Create the site config:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/noc_allocation

Paste this:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name _;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Enable the site and reload Nginx:

rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/noc_allocation /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx
systemctl enable nginx

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What's Running Now

Service	Port	Status	Role
Next.js (PM2)	3000	✅ online	App server
Nginx	80	✅ online	Reverse proxy
pm2-root.service	—	✅ enabled	Boot persistence

The app is accessible at http://10.169.81.160 on the internal network. Since this is a private LXC IP, it's only reachable within the Proxmox host's network

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Redeploying After Code Changes

Every future deployment is just four commands:

cd /opt/noc_allocation
git pull
pnpm install && pnpm build
pm2 restart noc_allocation

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Useful PM2 Commands

Command	What it does
pm2 status	View all processes
pm2 logs noc_allocation	Live log stream
pm2 restart noc_allocation	Restart the app
pm2 monit	Live CPU/memory dashboard
pm2 stop noc_allocation	Stop without removing
pm2 delete noc_allocation	Remove from PM2 entirely
pm2 flush noc_allocation	Clear logs

Written April 2026 · Deployed on Proxmox LXC · noc_allocation · Next.js + pnpm + PM2 + Nginx