Proxmox VE keeps an index of ready-made container templates: base systems such as Debian, Ubuntu or Alpine, and TurnKey Linux appliances for common services. Aprox shows this catalog, so you can pick a template and have the node download it to a storage, without looking up a download address. The file never passes through your device. Downloading from the catalog needs Aprox Pro.

Where to find it

You can open the catalog from two places:

  • From a storage: Sidebar › your server › storage (for example local) › Content › Templates › Browse Catalog. On Android, tap the Templates chip under the type picker. If the list is empty, the empty state also offers Browse Catalog.
  • While creating a container: in the Create Container wizard, tap Browse Appliance Catalog…. See Create a container.

Download a template

  1. Open the catalog. The Appliance Templates sheet opens and loads the node's index.
  2. Browse the sections. Base systems come first under System, followed by groups such as TurnKey Linux, Mail and Other. Each entry shows its name, version, a short description and its size.
  3. To narrow the list, type in Search appliances.
  4. Tap Get next to the template you want. A spinner appears while the node accepts the request, then the entry reads Downloading….
  5. Tap Done to close the catalog. The download keeps going on the node even after you close the sheet.

Templates that are already on the storage show a green check mark (Already on this storage) instead of Get. Pull down in the catalog to refresh it and see whether a download has finished.

The template then appears under Content › Templates, and you can use it in the Create a container wizard.

If the catalog is empty

When the node has never downloaded the appliance index, Aprox shows No catalog: "This node has no appliance index. Run pveam update on it first."

  1. Open a shell on the node, for example in the Proxmox web UI or with the node shell in Aprox.

  2. Run:

    pveam update

  3. Open the catalog again.

Requirements on the server

  • The node needs internet access to download the index and the templates.
  • The storage must be configured for container templates in Proxmox.
  • Your account typically needs Datastore.AllocateTemplate on the storage.

Good to know

  • The catalog lists Proxmox's appliance index only. For any other template, use Download from a URL or Upload a file.
  • The node downloads to the storage you opened the catalog from. The footer of the catalog names it.