If you are tired of paying monthly hosting bills and want full control over your website, then this guide is for you. In this tutorial, you will learn how to host WordPress on Proxmox for free using an LXC container, TurnKey Linux, and Cloudflare Tunnel.
This host WordPress on Proxmox setup works perfectly on Indian home internet connections. You do not need a static IP, and you do not need to do any port forwarding on your router.
This setup works perfectly on Indian home internet connections. You do not need a static IP, and you do not need to do any port forwarding on your router.
This guide is specially written for beginners, business owners, freelancers, students, and anyone who wants to start with home labbing using real world hosting.
Who This Guide Is For
This setup is perfect if you are:
- A small business owner who wants to avoid recurring hosting costs
- A startup founder building an MVP
- A freelancer creating your own portfolio site
- A blogger or content creator
- A student learning server and self hosting
- Someone who wants to enter the world of home labbing
This guide is not ideal if you are running heavy ecommerce websites, payment gateway based platforms, or handling sensitive customer data unless you know what you are doing.
What “Free Hosting” Really Means
When I say free hosting, I want to be very clear and honest with you.
Free means:
- No hosting company bills
- No VPS or cloud server fees
- No Proxmox license
- No WordPress license
- No Cloudflare Tunnel charges
- Free SSL certificate
But free does not mean zero cost at all. You will still need:
- An old PC, mini PC, or server
- Electricity
- An internet connection
The biggest advantage is that you remove all recurring hosting costs.
Prerequisites Before We Start
Before you follow this guide, you should already have a basic setup ready.
You need:
- A home server or old PC with Proxmox already installed
- Working internet inside Proxmox
- Knowledge of how to create an LXC container
- A domain name
- A free Cloudflare account
If you do not have a Cloudflare account, you can easily create one for free. If many people request it, I will also publish a separate step by step Cloudflare beginner setup guide.
What Is Proxmox and Why It Is Perfect to Host WordPress on Proxmox
Proxmox is a virtualization platform. You can think of it like running multiple small computers inside one physical computer.
An LXC container is a lightweight virtual system. It is faster than a full virtual machine and uses fewer resources. For WordPress hosting, LXC is a perfect choice because it is fast, efficient, and stable.
Why TurnKey Linux Is the Best Template to Host WordPress on Proxmox
Normally, installing WordPress manually requires you to configure:
- Linux server
- PHP
- Database
- Web server
- File permissions
- Security settings
This can be confusing for beginners.
TurnKey Linux gives you a ready-made WordPress template where everything is already configured. WordPress, database, PHP, and web server are pre-installed. This saves time and avoids mistakes.
That is why I always recommend TurnKey Linux for beginners.
Creating the WordPress LXC Container in Proxmox
Inside your Proxmox dashboard, you first need to download the TurnKey WordPress template. After that, you create a new LXC container.
While creating the container:
- Set a hostname for your website
- Set a strong root password
- Assign at least 2 GB RAM
- Allocate enough storage
- Keep network on automatic
Once the container is created, you simply start it.
First Time WordPress Access
After starting the container, Proxmox will show you the IP address of the container. When you open this IP in your browser, the WordPress setup page will appear.
From here, you can:
- Set your website title
- Create your admin username
- Set your strong password
- Enter your email address
Once this is done, your WordPress dashboard will open.
At this stage, your website is running locally inside your home network.
Buying a Domain Name
To make your website professional, you need a domain name. You can use any trusted domain registrar and choose extensions like .com or .in.
Once you buy the domain, we will connect it to Cloudflare and then to your WordPress container.
Adding Your Domain to Cloudflare
After logging in to Cloudflare, you add your domain there. Cloudflare will give you two name servers.
You need to update these name servers inside your domain registrar dashboard. After a few minutes to a few hours, your domain will become active inside Cloudflare.
This step is very important because Cloudflare Tunnel will work only when your domain is connected to Cloudflare.
What Is Cloudflare Tunnel and Why We Use It
Cloudflare Tunnel is the most important part of this setup.
Normally, to host a website from home, you need:
- A static IP
- Port forwarding on your router
- Public access to your server
All of this is risky and complicated.
Cloudflare Tunnel solves all these problems:
- No static IP is required
- No router configuration is required
- Your server is never directly exposed to the internet
- Free automatic SSL certificate
- Works perfectly on Indian ISP connections
This is what allows us to safely host WordPress from home.
How Cloudflare Tunnel Helps You Host WordPress on Proxmox Without Static IP
Instead of installing Cloudflared on the full Proxmox server, we install it only inside the WordPress LXC container.
This means:
- Your Proxmox dashboard remains fully private
- Only your WordPress site becomes public
- Security level becomes much higher
Inside the container, you:
- Install Cloudflared
- Log in to your Cloudflare account
- Create a secure tunnel
- Bind that tunnel to your WordPress service
How to Connect a Domain When You Host WordPress on Proxmox at Home
Once the tunnel is created, Cloudflare automatically:
- Creates DNS records
- Maps your domain to the tunnel
- Connects your website to your home WordPress server
Now, when you open your domain in a browser, your WordPress site will open directly from your home server.
This is the most satisfying moment of the entire setup.
Free SSL and HTTPS When You Host WordPress on Proxmox
Once Cloudflare Tunnel is active:
- Your site opens with HTTPS
- The security lock icon appears
- There are no SSL warnings
- Traffic is fully encrypted
This happens automatically without any paid SSL.
Backup Strategy for Beginners
Backups are extremely important for self hosting.
You should always keep:
- Proxmox snapshots of your container
- A WordPress backup plugin
- At least one external backup on a hard drive or NAS
Never rely on a single copy of your website.
Basic Security Rules for Self Hosted WordPress
To stay safe, always follow these basic rules:
- Use strong passwords
- Enable two factor authentication
- Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated
- Avoid using unnecessary plugins
- Do not give admin access to everyone
These simple habits prevent most attacks.
What Happens If Power or Internet Goes Down
If your electricity goes off or your broadband stops working, your website will temporarily go offline. As soon as power and internet are restored, your website will automatically come back online.
For better stability, using a UPS or inverter is highly recommended.
Cost Comparison in India
Over three years, typical costs look like this:
Shared hosting can easily cost ₹6,000 to ₹10,000
VPS hosting can easily go above ₹25,000 to ₹40,000
With self hosting, your main cost is:
- Electricity
- One time PC or mini server purchase
Long term, this saves a lot of money.
When You Should NOT Use Self Hosting
Avoid self hosting if:
- You are running payment gateway heavy websites
- You are storing sensitive customer data
- You expect very high daily traffic
- You cannot manage basic server maintenance
In these cases, cloud VPS hosting is a safer option.
Who This Setup Is Perfect For
This setup is best for:
- Bloggers
- Freelancers
- Creators
- Learners
- Students
- Startup MVP builders
- Home lab beginners
It gives you full control, real learning, and zero monthly hosting bills.
How You Can Scale in the Future
You can easily start on your home server. When your traffic grows:
- Take a full WordPress backup.
- Move to a VPS
- Restore your website
- Reuse Cloudflare security
You can scale without rebuilding from scratch. Watch my full guide on how to migrate your wordpress website for free on YouTube.
Final Thoughts
Hosting your own WordPress website using Proxmox, LXC, TurnKey Linux, and Cloudflare Tunnel is one of the best ways to learn real world hosting while saving money.
You get:
- Full control
- No monthly bills
- Real server experience
- Better security
- Scalable architecture
If you are serious about building digital assets, this is a powerful skill to have.
Free Guide & Consulting CTA
If you want my free WordPress Starter Guide with recommended plugins and security basics, you can download it from the link below.
If you want personal help with:
- Proxmox setup
- WordPress self hosting
- Security hardening
- Backup automation
You can also book a free DevOps consultation with me.