Running a nested Proxmox homelab and Docker development on the same Windows machine
Tags: docker, proxmox, homelab, windows I sat down to start a new project and Docker Desktop wouldn't run. I knew why immediately, because I'd already paid this bill once — in the opposite direction. When I first set up Proxmox nested in VMware, VMware wouldn't run either. I fixed it by turning the Windows hypervisor off so the nested VM could reach VT-x/EPT directly. It worked. What I didn't…
Running a nested Proxmox homelab and Docker development on the same Windows machine can be challenging due to conflicts between the hypervisor and Docker Desktop. To make it work, you need to disable the Windows hypervisor and set it to auto, allowing Proxmox to run while keeping Docker Desktop separate. Build a dedicated VM called DEV01 with Ubuntu 24.04.5, 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, and 100 GB disk.
Install Docker Engine 29.8.0, Compose v5.5.1, and containerd 2.3.5. Use passwordless SSH to connect the Windows Docker CLI to DEV01's Docker daemon via SSH. Address issues such as bind mounts resolving on the daemon host, 127.0.0.1 in port mappings being the VM's loopback, and the build context going over SSH each time. Additionally, be aware that WSL2 stops existing when using this setup, as Docker Desktop no longer runs on Windows.
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