Homelab Network Architecture

This section covers how a Proxmox-based homelab is structured from physical layout down to containers and VMs. It is organized into focused pages so you can jump directly to design, security, or troubleshooting.

In This Section

• Linux Bridges in Proxmox - physical layout, network zones, traffic flow, vmbr0, and where VLANs fit.
• Container vs VM Networking - how LXC and KVM attach to the network and what differences actually matter.
• Network Security - layered defense, example firewall rules, and DNS-level filtering.
• Network Troubleshooting - practical checks for connectivity, DNS, firewall, and performance issues.
• Pi-hole In A Homelab - where DNS filtering belongs in the network design, how dual Pi-hole works, and what router and upstream decisions matter before you pick a platform.

Related Platform Guides

• Proxmox Workloads - the Proxmox-specific service and deployment guides that sit on top of this network model.
• TrueNAS SCALE On Proxmox - the storage-side follow-up when the NAS or backup role in this network is a Proxmox-backed TrueNAS VM rather than a separate appliance.
• Secure Service Exposure On Proxmox - the practical Proxmox-side decision guide for tunnels, reverse proxies, and certificate handling once services need to cross the LAN boundary.
• Raspberry Pi - Raspberry Pi-specific infrastructure guides when a service should live on dedicated low-power hardware instead of the hypervisor.
• Proxmox Networking Models - the Proxmox-side view of guest attachment and what those choices cost later.

How To Use It

Read the Linux bridge page first if you are designing the lab. If the lab already exists and something is broken, start with troubleshooting and then follow the links into security or bridge layout as needed.