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[FIXED] cloud-init Slow Booting in Proxmox / Ubuntu Server

Read Time: 4 min Updated: 2026-08-03

Quick Diagnostics

The message cloud-init: waiting for network config or a 2 to 5-minute boot delay on Ubuntu Server virtual machines running on Proxmox VE, KVM, or Cloud VPS occurs when cloud-init stalls waiting for DHCP responses on unconfigured secondary network interfaces.

Quick Solution (1 Minute): Disable post-provisioning cloud-init network waiting services:

BASH 
sudo touch /etc/cloud/cloud-init.disabled
sudo systemctl disable cloud-init.service

🚀 Step-by-Step Fixes

Step 1: Diagnose Boot Bottlenecks

Inspect boot time duration per service using systemd-analyze:

BASH 
systemd-analyze blame | grep cloud-init

If cloud-init-local.service or cloud-config.service reports times over 30 seconds, cloud-init is stuck on network queries.

Step 2: Disable cloud-init Post-Provisioning

Once your virtual machine has been fully created and configured with its static IP/hostname:

BASH 
# Prevent cloud-init execution on subsequent boots
sudo touch /etc/cloud/cloud-init.disabled

# Disable systemd services
sudo systemctl disable cloud-init.service
sudo systemctl disable cloud-init-local.service
sudo systemctl disable cloud-config.service
sudo systemctl disable cloud-final.service

Step 3: Configure Non-Blocking Netplan Interfaces

On Ubuntu Server, edit /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml:

YAML 
network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    eth0:
      dhcp4: true
      optional: true

Adding optional: true allows Ubuntu to complete booting immediately even if DHCP network resolution is slow. Apply changes:

BASH 
sudo netplan apply

Prevention Advice

Recommended security practices: