Configuring Virtualization and Apps
6 minute read.
Configuring TrueNAS to work with virtualized features, such as virtual machines (VMs) and applications, is part of the setup process that, when optimized, takes advantage of the network storage capabilities that TrueNAS offers.
This article assumes you have the latest release version of TrueNAS installed on your system. The following steps are a list of configuration prerequisites you have completed and are familiar with before beginning VM and application installations.
The primary network interface is configured as part of the installation process. Go to Network > Global Configuration screen in the TrueNAS web UI to determine if the default gateway, host name, domain, and DNS name servers have been configured correctly. See Console Setup Menu Configuration for more information on network settings.
If VMs need to access local NAS storage, you need to create a network bridge and assign it to the VM. Applications or sandboxes that need access to local storage within the container must use a bridge or mount a local storage location as a host path for the application.
You can configure a virtual LAN (VLAN) to route traffic for your VMs. VLAN benefits include the reduction of broadcast traffic and the ability to group resources in different physical locations into a broadcast domain. VLANs virtually segment a network. Different VLANs can communicate with each other using layer 3 devices. See Setting Up a Network VLAN for more information on creating virtual LANs (VLAN).
Storage pool creation is part of the initial process of setting up storage. A TrueNAS dataset is a file system within a data storage pool. See Setting Up Storage to review storage pool creation and Adding and Managing Datasets for information on dataset configuration.
After creating the pool and datasets, set up shares to enable data access and sharing. Different types of data sharing methods are discussed in Setting Up Data Sharing. You should investigate more specific coverage of each share based on your use case.
SMB Shares Screens and Setting Up SMB Home Shares provide a good introduction as to how TrueNAS handles SMB shares.
See Adding NFS Shares for information on creating a basic NFS share. Adjust access permissions using the advanced options.
Certain directory services must be set up as part of SMB and NFS share configuration. See Active Directory Screen for a better understanding of how to configure Active Directory and Configuring Kerberos for an outline of required Kerberos information. For LDAP best practices see Configuring LDAP.
Virtual Machines and Containers in TrueNAS 25.04TrueNAS 25.04 introduces support for Containers (Linux system containers), enabling lightweight isolation similar to jails in TrueNAS CORE.
TrueNAS 25.04.2 reintroduces “classic virtualization” with the Virtual Machines feature.
Virtual machines created in 25.04.0 or 25.04.1 using the Instances feature continue to function and appear in the Containers screen. New VMs and those migrated from 24.10.2.2 to 25.04.2 use the Virtual Machines screen.
Virtual machines automatically migrate from TrueNAS 24.10 to 25.04.2. No manual migration of virtual machines is required.
We are actively updating Tutorials and UI Reference articles to reflect these changes. Please use the Docs Hub Feedback button (located to the right of any article) to report documentation issues or request improvements to the Containers or Virtual Machines documentation.
Containers (Linux system containers) are an experimental feature intended for community testing only. Functionality could change significantly between releases, and containers might not upgrade reliably. Use this feature for testing purposes only—do not rely on it for production workloads. Long-term stability is planned for future TrueNAS Community Edition releases.
Make all configuration changes using the TrueNAS UI. Operations using the command line are not supported and might not persist on upgrade.
For assistance or to discuss this feature with other TrueNAS users, visit our community forums.
To report bugs, submit an issue on TrueNAS Jira.
TrueNAS includes built-in virtualization capabilities that enable you to run multiple operating systems and containerized applications on a single system, maximizing hardware utilization and consolidating workloads.
Virtual machines provide complete isolation by running full operating systems with dedicated virtualized hardware including network interfaces, storage, graphics adapters, and other components. VMs are ideal for running legacy applications, different operating systems, or services that require dedicated environments.
TrueNAS assigns a portion of system RAM and a new zvol to each VM. While a VM is running, these resources are not available to the host computer or other VMs.
Virtualization requires:
- x86 machine running a recent Linux kernel
- Intel processor with VT (Virtualization Technology) extensions, OR
- AMD processor with SVM extensions (AMD-V)
Users cannot create VMs unless the host system supports these features.
See Virtual Machines for VM setup and management information.
Linux containers, powered by LXC, offer lightweight, isolated environments that share the host system kernel while maintaining separate file systems, processes, and network settings. Containers start quickly, use fewer system resources than VMs, and scale efficiently, making them ideal for deploying applications with minimal overhead.
Containers are lightweight and share the host kernel, requiring fewer resources than virtual machines. However, proper resource allocation ensures optimal performance and system stability.
You can leave CPU and memory settings blank to allow containers access to all available host resources, or configure specific limits based on your needs. Key considerations for container deployment:
Storage Pool: Containers require a storage pool for volume creation and image storage. SSD drives provide optimal performance.
CPU: No virtualization extensions required. Multiple containers run efficiently on fewer resources than equivalent VMs.
Memory: More efficient than VMs with no guest OS overhead. Memory allocated to containers reduces available memory for TrueNAS ZFS caching.
See Containers for Linux container configuration and management information.
The first time you open the Applications screen, it displays an Apps Service Not Configured status on the screen header.
Click Settings > Choose Pool to choose a storage pool for Apps.
A storage pool for applications must be chosen before application installation can begin. Select a pool with enough space for all the application containers you intend to use. Set up a new dataset before installing your applications if you want to store your application data in a separate location from other storage on your system.
After an Apps storage pool is configured, the status changes to Apps Service Running.
Use Discover Apps to view available applications. See TrueNAS Apps Market and Apps reference guide for more information.
For custom applications, Install Custom App details each field on the Install Custom App screen. Before beginning a custom application installation, determine the following information:
- Container host networking requirements, including host interface
- IP address management: DHCP or static IP
- DNS policy and nameservers
- Container entrypoint (executables run when the container is started): commands or arguments
- Container environment variables: names and values
- Port forwarding
- Storage: host path and mount path configuration
You can find additional options for configuring general network interfaces and IP addresses for application containers in Apps > Settings > Advanced Settings.