How to Create an Ubuntu 24.04 Cloud VM on Proxmox Using Cloud-Init

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Table of Contents Hide
1) How to Create an Ubuntu 24.04 Cloud VM on Proxmox Using Cloud-Init
1.1) 🧰 Requirements
1.2) 🖼️ Step 1: Download Ubuntu 24.04 Cloud Image
1.3) 🆕 Step 2: Create the VM
1.4) 💽 Step 3: Import the Disk
1.5) 🧩 Step 4: Attach and Resize the Disk
1.6) ☁️ Step 5: Add Cloud-Init Disk
1.7) 🌐 Step 6: Configure Networking and User
1.8) 🔧 Step 7: Configure Boot Behavior
1.9) ▶️ Step 8: Start and Verify
1.10) ✅ Conclusion

How to Create an Ubuntu 24.04 Cloud VM on Proxmox Using Cloud-Init

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) is the newest long-term support release from Canonical, offering stability, performance, and security. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a cloud-init-enabled VM running Ubuntu 24.04 on Proxmox using the qm CLI.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Download the latest Ubuntu 24.04 cloud image
  • Import and attach the disk
  • Configure Cloud-Init for login and networking
  • Boot and launch your VM

🧰 Requirements

  • A Proxmox VE node (version 7.x or newer)
  • Storage pool named local-lvm
  • Network bridge (e.g., vmbr0)
  • Internet access

🖼️ Step 1: Download Ubuntu 24.04 Cloud Image

wget https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/noble/current/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img -P /var/lib/vz/template/iso/

This downloads the official Ubuntu 24.04 cloud image and stores it under your ISO templates.

🆕 Step 2: Create the VM

qm create 4003 --name ubuntu24-vm --memory 2048 --cores 2 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0
  • VM ID: 4003
  • Name: ubuntu24-vm
  • RAM: 2 GB
  • CPU: 2 cores
  • Networking: virtio with bridge vmbr0

💽 Step 3: Import the Disk

qm importdisk 4003 /var/lib/vz/template/iso/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img local-lvm

This command adds the disk image into your LVM-backed Proxmox storage.

🧩 Step 4: Attach and Resize the Disk

qm set 4003 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci --scsi0 local-lvm:vm-4003-disk-0
qm resize 4003 scsi0 30G
  • Attaches the disk as SCSI
  • Expands it to 30 GB

☁️ Step 5: Add Cloud-Init Disk

qm set 4003 --ide2 local-lvm:cloudinit

This enables support for Cloud-Init configuration (users, passwords, IPs, etc.).

🌐 Step 6: Configure Networking and User

qm set 4003 --ipconfig0 ip=103.0.113.60/24,gw=103.0.113.1
qm set 4003 --ciuser adminuser --cipassword NoblePass24
qm set 4003 --searchdomain cloudhost.com
  • Assigns a static IP
  • Adds a Cloud-Init user
  • Sets the domain search field

🔧 Step 7: Configure Boot Behavior

qm set 4003 --boot c --bootdisk scsi0
qm set 4003 --onboot 1
qm set 4003 --boot order=scsi0

Ensures the VM will boot from disk and start automatically with the host.

▶️ Step 8: Start and Verify

qm start 4003
qm status 4003

After starting, you can connect via console or SSH (if allowed).

✅ Conclusion

Ubuntu 24.04 is ready for modern infrastructure, and setting it up on Proxmox using Cloud-Init is a fast, repeatable process. You can extend this with SSH key injection, startup scripts, and infrastructure automation tools.

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