Incus is a next-generation system container, application container, and virtual machine manager.
It provides a user experience similar to that of a public cloud. With it, you can easily mix and match both containers and virtual machines, sharing the same underlying storage and network.
Incus is image based and provides images for a wide number of Linux distributions. It provides flexibility and scalability for various use cases, with support for different storage backends and network types and the option to install on hardware ranging from an individual laptop or cloud instance to a full server rack.
When using Incus, you can manage your instances (containers and VMs) with a simple command line tool, directly through the REST API or by using third-party tools and integrations. Incus implements a single REST API for both local and remote access.
The Incus project was created by Aleksa Sarai as a community driven alternative to Canonical’s LXD. Today, it’s led and maintained by many of the same people that once created LXD.
I’m in the same boat, I tried Incus or rather LXD a couple months back and gave up after a little while due to pressing business needing the Proxmox machine up again.
I have two main requirements which I have for my server:
It must support Home Assistant OS as a VM and a USB Dongle (Zwave) I found this as a possible solution for LXD systems: https://seanblanchfield.com/2023/05/home-assistant-os-in-lxd
It must support NFS exports so I can share my storage and data drives. I’m pretty sure since it’s on Debian, I can install Cockpit and it’s sharing plugin for this.
I think the thing which scared me off at the time too was the lack of GUI which I think I may have missed. This may be a solution: https://blog.simos.info/how-to-install-and-setup-the-incus-web-ui/
I was just thinking about Incus the other day so this might be a good time to look into it more!
You tried incus on a prod machine?
I did, but it’s a home machine, personal use. So, it didn’t matter for me, but for family…that was another story! :) I just pulled the main boot drive, put a different one and installed it and went through the process. Then went back to the Proxmox drive after.
Haha, alright then.
I thought you hijacked a VM Host at work to play with ;)