Setup

Installation and recommendations

napp-it runs on various platforms. Recommended setups for typical use cases.

All-in-One

Storage and virtualization in one box

RECOMMENDED

Proxmox + napp-it CS

The ideal combination: OpenZFS out-of-the-box, excellent virtualization, active community.

  • OpenZFS directly integrated
  • KVM and LXC containers
  • Web-GUI for VMs and ZFS via napp-it CS
  • Commercial support option available
Setup Guide PDF
ALTERNATIVE

Windows + napp-it CS

Windows 11 Pro or Server with HyperV and Storage Spaces or OpenZFS.

  • HyperV natively included
  • Storage Spaces + OpenZFS (Release Candidate)
  • Windows Server: RDMA-SMB up to 10 GB/s
  • Ideal for 4K video editing
Setup Guide PDF
Pure NAS

Dedicated storage server

OmniOS

OmniOS (SE)

Most stable free ZFS (OpenZFS compatible). Kernel-SMB. Recommended for pure NAS servers. Long Term Stable. Commercial support available.

OpenIndiana (SE)

OmniOS alternative with desktop. Active community. Good for Illumos beginners.

BSD

FreeBSD (CS)

OpenZFS, very stable, minimal overhead. Manageable via napp-it CS.

OSX

macOS (CS)

OpenZFS for macOS (release status). napp-it CS runs as frontend (Apache) and manages the local OpenZFS server as well as remote servers.

Sol

Oracle Solaris (SE)

Native ZFS, ultra stable, minimal overhead. Incompatible with Illumos ZFS/OpenZFS. Commercial support until at least 2034. Manageable via napp-it SE.