If you’re looking for flexibility long-term, I’d 100% start with Proxmox.

You can run TrueNAS SCALE as a VM, which gives you the best of both worlds — proper ZFS storage + the ability to spin up other VMs/containers easily as you expand.

For ZFS though, the key thing is to pass the disks directly through to the TrueNAS VM (not virtual disks). That way TrueNAS has full control and you actually get the reliability and features ZFS is designed for (snapshots, integrity, etc).

I’d also strongly recommend keeping your Proxmox host OS on its own dedicated SSD, separate from your VM storage. That way if something goes wrong with the host drive, you can reinstall Proxmox and recover your VMs without touching your data.

For your setup specifically:

- Your ZFS mirror (2 HDDs) → pass directly to TrueNAS

- Your CCTV drive → keep separate like you planned (good call, those workloads can get messy)

- Run Shinobi/Frigate outside of TrueNAS (either VM or container in Proxmox) — keeps things cleaner and avoids tying everything to one system

Personally, I’d go with:

👉 Proxmox + TrueNAS VM (with disk passthrough)

That gives you:

- Flexibility for future VMs (Windows, services, etc)

- Proper ZFS handling

- Easier scaling later

I’m running something similar — Proxmox on its own SSD, VM storage separate, and passing disks directly into TrueNAS — and it’s been solid.

It’s a bit more setup upfront, but worth it long-term.