Ansible playbook for setting up a Debian cloud image to use on Proxmox. This playbook would be executed from your client machine, with the Proxmox host specified in the inventory (`-i`)

debian-cloudimg.yml

---


- hosts: all
  remote_user: root
  vars:
    # https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/
    # This is the path from Debian's website
    DEBIAN_IMAGE_URL: "https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/20250804-2194/debian-12-generic-amd64-20250804-2194.qcow2"
    DEBIAN_JSON_URL: "https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/bookworm/20250804-2194/debian-12-generic-amd64-20250804-2194.json"
    # Note that these begin with "sha512:"
    DEBIAN_IMAGE_CHECKSUM: "sha512:251161733705e529a4d24d3be41326551351c1056588811d575bc6d34f3ea5007a15a30132357be1918d15e5f46e19e776541ad4bd6edf759bde769528ac008c"
    DEBIAN_JSON_CHECKSUM: "sha512:d67505de61486ffe403a6017d9d8f9dbe3e25c688d21733292baa63ace159338acc891d5d7a437a74de8736e549d2eae711bdc13745ed1a90587de6ae8e12adb"
    # This is what we'll call it locally
    PROXMOX_VERSION: "debian-12-20250804-2194"
    PROXMOX_TEMPLATE_VMID: 9100
    # This is the ROOT of where we'll be working on the Proxmox host
    PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR: "/vmpool01/images/cloud-builds"
    # Key for root user
    SSH_KEY: "ssh-ed25519 FILLE ME IN"
    # Where the template will be stored
    PROXMOX_IMAGE_POOL: "vmpool01-vmdata"
  tasks:

  - name: Install pre-reqs
    apt:
      pkg:
      - guestfs-tools
      state: present
  
  - name: Create image working directory
    ansible.builtin.file:
      path: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}"
      state: directory

  - name: Download Debian JSON
    ansible.builtin.get_url:
      url: "{{ DEBIAN_JSON_URL }}"
      dest: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian.json"
      checksum: "{{ DEBIAN_JSON_CHECKSUM }}"
  - name: Download Debian QCOW2
    ansible.builtin.get_url:
      url: "{{ DEBIAN_IMAGE_URL }}"
      dest: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian.qcow2"
      checksum: "{{ DEBIAN_IMAGE_CHECKSUM }}"
      
  - name: Create a larger qcow2 image
    command: qemu-img create -f qcow2 -o preallocation=metadata debian-10G.qcow2 10G
    args:
      chdir: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}"
      creates: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian-10G.qcow2"
  - name: Expand the underlying filesystem
    # File system can be found via: 
    #   virt-filesystems --long -h --all -a debian.qcow2
    command: virt-resize --expand /dev/sda1 debian.qcow2 debian-10G.qcow2
    args:
      chdir: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}"
  
  - name: Customize the image for Proxmox
    command: >
      virt-customize -a debian-10G.qcow2
        --run-command 'grub-install /dev/sda'
        --install cloud-guest-utils,cloud-initramfs-growroot
        --install qemu-guest-agent
        --run-command 'systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent'
        --install cifs-utils,htop,tmux
    args:
      chdir: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}"

  - name: Shrink the image on disk
    command: >
      virt-sparsify --compress 
        debian-10G.qcow2 
        debian-10G-compressed.qcow2
    args:
      chdir: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}"
      creates: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian-10G-compressed.qcow2"
  
  - name: Remove the uncompressed copy
    file:
      path: "{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian-10G.qcow2"
      state: absent

  - name: Create temp file for public SSH key
    ansible.builtin.tempfile:
      state: file
      suffix: temppubsshkey
    register: TEMP_PUB_SSHKEY
  
  - name: Write public key contents
    ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
      path: "{{ TEMP_PUB_SSHKEY.path }}"
      line: "{{ SSH_KEY }}"

  - name: Create Proxmox VM
    command: >
      qm create {{ PROXMOX_TEMPLATE_VMID }}
        --name '{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}'
        --ostype l26
        --machine q35
        --memory 2048
        --cores 2
        --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0
        --scsihw virtio-scsi-single
        --agent enabled=1,fstrim_cloned_disks=1

  - name: Configure cloud-init
    command: >
      qm set {{ PROXMOX_TEMPLATE_VMID }}
        --ide2 {{ PROXMOX_IMAGE_POOL }}:cloudinit
        --serial0 socket
        --vga serial0
        --sshkeys {{ TEMP_PUB_SSHKEY.path }}

  - name: Import disk to Proxmox
    command: >
      qm set {{ PROXMOX_TEMPLATE_VMID }}
        --scsi0 {{ PROXMOX_IMAGE_POOL }}:0,ssd=1,discard=on,iothread=1,import-from="{{ PROXMOX_WORKINGDIR }}/{{ PROXMOX_VERSION }}/debian-10G-compressed.qcow2"
        --boot order=scsi0

  - name: Convert Proxmox placeholder to template
    command: "qm template {{ PROXMOX_TEMPLATE_VMID }}"

  - name: Remove temp public key file
    ansible.builtin.file:
      path: "{{ TEMP_PUB_SSHKEY.path }}"
      state: absent
    when: TEMP_PUB_SSHKEY.path is defined