How to Configure a Static IP on Debian 13 GenericCloud in Proxmox VE

This guide explains how to configure a static IP address on Debian 13 GenericCloud. Although this example runs on Proxmox, the Debian network configuration itself is the same on other virtualization platforms.

1. Check the Network Interface

Confirm the active network interface.

:::code ip -br addr :::

In this example, the interface name is:

:::code eth0 :::

2. Configure the Static IP

Check the existing Netplan configuration.

:::code ls /etc/netplan/ :::

Create a new static network configuration.

:::code sudo nano /etc/netplan/99-static.yaml :::

Use the following configuration:

:::code network: version: 2 ethernets: eth0: dhcp4: false addresses: - 192.168.8.11/24 routes: - to: default via: 192.168.8.1 nameservers: addresses: - 192.168.8.1 :::

3. Apply the Configuration

Validate and apply the new network configuration.

:::code sudo netplan try sudo netplan apply :::

If you are connected through SSH, netplan try is recommended because the configuration can automatically roll back if connectivity is lost.

4. Verify the Static IP

:::code ip -br addr ip route :::

The expected IP address is:

:::code 192.168.8.11/24 :::

The default gateway should point to:

:::code 192.168.8.1 :::

Test network connectivity:

:::code ping -c 4 192.168.8.1 ping -c 4 1.1.1.1 ping -c 4 google.com :::

Proxmox Cloud-Init Alternative

If the Debian VM was created from a Cloud-Init template in Proxmox, the same network configuration can also be managed directly from:

:::code VM → Cloud-Init → IP Config :::

Or from the Proxmox shell:

:::code qm set 103 --ipconfig0 ip=192.168.8.11/24,gw=192.168.8.1 qm set 103 --nameserver 192.168.8.1 :::

Conclusion

For this Debian 13 GenericCloud VM, the final network configuration is:

:::code Interface : eth0 IP Address : 192.168.8.11/24 Gateway : 192.168.8.1 DNS Server : 192.168.8.1 :::

Using Netplan provides a straightforward way to configure a static IP directly inside Debian, while Proxmox Cloud-Init can be used when the VM is managed from a reusable cloud template.