VMware ESXi or Proxmox for installing Windows Server 2022 / 2025 + Media Server, Open source SIEM?

[TestLink]

I have a Dell PowerEdge R620 server used in my Home LAB on to which I am trying to install Windows Server 2022 / 2025 and open source firewall, a media server, opensource SIEM, couple of LINUX distros etc and some other stuff to play around on the Server.

Which will be the best option for my use case - VMware ESXi or Proxmox?

Thanks...

 

[ClubMan]

Doesn't ESXi require a paid license while Proxmox is free and open source?

You'll probably get better and more detailed reviews and comparisons of the two hypervisor options on a more specialised techie site than Askaboutmoney or on Reddit etc.

 

[Zenith63]

Broadcom ended the free use of ESXi shortly after they bought VMware. So you’ll need to look elsewhere and Proxmox does seem to be quite popular at the moment, meaning you should find plenty of support resources online.

 

[lff12]

You can also install KVM on CentOS (basically the open source version of Red Hat). A lot of people like this.
Some instructions here

 

[TestLink]

Thanks...

 

[Páid]

Could you use VMWare Workstation Pro? It's free for personal use or you could also use Oracle Virtual Box.

VMware Workstation Pro: Now Available Free for Personal Use

VMware Desktop Hypervisor products Fusion and Workstation are used by millions of people every day to run virtual machines on their Windows, Linux and Mac computers. They give users the ability to quickly and easily build “local virtual” environments to install other operating systems, learn...

blogs.vmware.com

Oracle VirtualBox

www.virtualbox.org

I hear great things about Promox but I've never used it.

 

[ClubMan]

You can also install KVM on CentOS (basically the open source version of Red Hat).

KVM is available on most or all Linux distros, not just CentOS (which, in any case, is a discontinued distro).

Edit: oh, maybe you meant CentOS Stream?

CentOS Stream - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ClubMan]

Could you use VMWare Workstation Pro? It's free for personal use or you could also use Oracle Virtual Box.

Just to note that these are Type 2 hypervisors and not Type 1 like ESXi/Proxmox in case that's relevant to the original poster's needs.

 

[TestLink]

I have VMware Pro FREE for personal use. Great piece of software.

But Proxmox, XCP-ng etc are type 1 hypervisors interacting directly with the server hardware. So since I have an old server, I thought why not try Proxmox.