Dashboard: Apps tab
ProxMenux Monitor · Dashboard~6 min
A single launcher for the web interfaces you use across the node, whether they come from a registered LXC application or a custom Web Link.
A launcher, not an application installer
The Apps tab does not install software or discover services by itself. It turns saved Web Links into one searchable grid. LXC-owned links are configured in the guest's App tab; custom links let you include VM services, reverse proxies and external dashboards.
What appears in Apps
Each launchable URL becomes its own card. The source determines where that card is edited, but not how it looks during normal use.
| Source | What appears | Where it is managed |
|---|---|---|
| Registered LXC application | One card for every Web Link saved on the application record. | VMs & LXCs → LXC modal → App |
| Custom link bound to a guest | A service URL associated with a specific VM or LXC. | Apps → Edit |
| Unbound custom link | Any HTTP(S) destination, including an external or reverse-proxied service. | Apps → Edit |
Apps and the LXC App tab have different jobs
The LXC App tab owns application identity, Web Links and optional version tracking. The top-level Apps tab consumes those links and makes them easy to launch. Editing an LXC-owned card therefore takes you back to its guest record rather than creating a second copy of the configuration.
How to use a card
The whole card is the launch target, while its smaller controls provide context without opening the service.
- Click the card to open its URL in a new browser tab.
- The logo uses the Web Link logo first and falls back to the application logo when appropriate.
- The category chip uses the same colour and label as the corresponding Web Link in the LXC App tab.
- A guest pill identifies the bound VM or LXC. Click it to open that guest's modal; LXC links land directly on App, while VM links open Status.
- A purple upward arrow means the specific application or Docker image has an available update. It is not a general update count for the whole guest.
Search, filter and sort
The toolbar narrows a large application collection without changing the saved records.
- Search matches the application name, guest name, VMID and category.
- The category filter shows one category at a time or all applications.
- Sort by Name, ID or Category. Category sorting inserts group headings between card groups.
- The selected sort order is remembered in this browser. Search text and category filtering reset when the page is revisited.
- The Apps tab remains available when the grid is empty, so the first custom link can be added without registering an LXC application first.
Adding and editing custom Web Links
Use a custom link when the service is not represented by a registered LXC application.
- Press Add link from the toolbar or the empty state.
- Enter a name and a complete
http://orhttps://URL. - Optionally add a logo, choose or create a category, and bind the link to a VM or LXC.
- Save it. The new card is inserted into the grid immediately.
- To change or remove a custom link, press Edit and use the pencil on its card.
| Field | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | The card title and search term. |
| URL | Yes | The complete HTTP(S) destination opened by the card. |
| Logo URL | No | A remote image shown on the card. |
| Category | No | Adds a shared badge and enables category filtering. |
| Guest binding | No | Associates the link with a VM or LXC and enables the guest shortcut. |
Edit the source of truth
Edit mode only exposes pencils for custom links. To change a card generated from a registered LXC application, open that guest's App tab and edit the saved Web Link there.
Categories and update signals
Categories organize links; update signals report software state. They are intentionally separate.
- Catalog-assisted LXC registration can prefill a category, but it remains editable.
- Custom category names can be created from the same selector and then reused by the filter.
- Category colours are deterministic and adapt to the light or dark theme. Purple and red ranges are reserved for update and danger states.
- For Docker Web Links, ProxMenux matches the card to its container or image and reports that image's update state. A Docker Engine update remains in the LXC Updates tab.
Persistence and cache behaviour
The dashboard is designed to open from already available Monitor data rather than rescan every guest.
- Custom links are stored atomically in
/etc/proxmenux/custom_links.jsonand warmed into memory when the Monitor starts. - Registered LXC links remain part of their application's saved Monitor record; the Apps dashboard does not duplicate them into the custom-link file.
- Creating, editing or deleting a custom link refreshes the in-memory list immediately.
- The sort preference is browser-local. It is not synchronized between devices or users.
- The top-level position of Apps is controlled separately by Settings → Navigation order.
Common situations
| Situation | Resolution |
|---|---|
| An LXC application is registered but no card appears | Open its App tab and add at least one Web Link. Version tracking alone does not create a launcher card. |
| The URL or logo is wrong | Edit the custom link in Apps, or edit the Web Link in the owning LXC App tab. |
| A Docker service is missing | Edit the registered Docker application and save the service's published web port as a Web Link. |
| The purple arrow refers to the wrong Docker update | Review the Web Link name and description so they can be matched to the intended container or image. |
| Apps opens first instead of System Overview | The first saved item in Settings → Navigation order becomes the landing tab. Restore the default order or move Overview first. |
Where to next
- LXC App tab — register applications, Web Links and optional version tracking.
- LXC Updates tab — configure and run application, Docker Engine and image updates.
- Settings tab — change the navigation order and landing tab.