diff --git a/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.json b/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.json
index b0ce42b4..691d4546 100644
--- a/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.json
+++ b/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.json
@@ -4458,6 +4458,9 @@
           "type": "integer",
           "x-nullable": false,
           "x-omitempty": false
+        },
+        "vmname": {
+          "type": "string"
         }
       },
       "x-nullable": false,
diff --git a/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.yaml b/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.yaml
index 745ee27a..89e092c4 100644
--- a/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.yaml
+++ b/internal/api/v1/docs/swagger.yaml
@@ -941,6 +941,8 @@ definitions:
         type: string
       vmid:
         type: integer
+      vmname:
+        type: string
     required:
     - node
     - vmid
diff --git a/internal/config/state.go b/internal/config/state.go
index 1dac34fe..e06bd901 100644
--- a/internal/config/state.go
+++ b/internal/config/state.go
@@ -111,7 +111,6 @@ func (state *state) Init(data []byte) error {
 	g := gperr.NewGroup("config load error")
 	g.Go(state.initMaxMind)
 	g.Go(state.initProxmox)
-	g.Go(state.loadRouteProviders)
 	g.Go(state.initAutoCert)
 
 	errs := g.Wait()
@@ -119,6 +118,7 @@ func (state *state) Init(data []byte) error {
 	errs.Add(state.initNotification())
 	errs.Add(state.initACL())
 	errs.Add(state.initEntrypoint())
+	errs.Add(state.loadRouteProviders())
 	return errs.Error()
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/config/types/config.go b/internal/config/types/config.go
index 25bc262c..4ff13a17 100644
--- a/internal/config/types/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/types/config.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ type (
 		Docker       map[string]types.DockerProviderConfig `json:"docker" yaml:"docker,omitempty" validate:"non_empty_docker_keys"`
 		Agents       []*agent.AgentConfig                  `json:"agents" yaml:"agents,omitempty"`
 		Notification []*notif.NotificationConfig           `json:"notification" yaml:"notification,omitempty"`
-		Proxmox      []proxmox.Config                      `json:"proxmox" yaml:"proxmox,omitempty"`
+		Proxmox      []*proxmox.Config                     `json:"proxmox" yaml:"proxmox,omitempty"`
 		MaxMind      *maxmind.Config                       `json:"maxmind" yaml:"maxmind,omitempty"`
 	}
 )
diff --git a/internal/proxmox/client.go b/internal/proxmox/client.go
index 8f7f8074..fe454594 100644
--- a/internal/proxmox/client.go
+++ b/internal/proxmox/client.go
@@ -5,11 +5,16 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"runtime"
+	"slices"
 	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/luthermonson/go-proxmox"
 	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
+	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
 )
 
 type Client struct {
@@ -17,10 +22,15 @@ type Client struct {
 	*proxmox.Cluster
 	Version *proxmox.Version
 	// id -> resource; id: lxc/<vmid> or qemu/<vmid>
-	resources   map[string]*proxmox.ClusterResource
+	resources   map[string]*VMResource
 	resourcesMu sync.RWMutex
 }
 
+type VMResource struct {
+	*proxmox.ClusterResource
+	IPs []net.IP
+}
+
 var (
 	ErrResourceNotFound = errors.New("resource not found")
 	ErrNoResources      = errors.New("no resources")
@@ -29,7 +39,7 @@ var (
 func NewClient(baseUrl string, opts ...proxmox.Option) *Client {
 	return &Client{
 		Client:    proxmox.NewClient(baseUrl, opts...),
-		resources: make(map[string]*proxmox.ClusterResource),
+		resources: make(map[string]*VMResource),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -62,8 +72,36 @@ func (c *Client) UpdateResources(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	clear(c.resources)
+	var errs errgroup.Group
+	errs.SetLimit(runtime.GOMAXPROCS(0) * 2)
 	for _, resource := range resourcesSlice {
-		c.resources[resource.ID] = resource
+		c.resources[resource.ID] = &VMResource{
+			ClusterResource: resource,
+			IPs:             nil,
+		}
+		errs.Go(func() error {
+			node, ok := Nodes.Get(resource.Node)
+			if !ok {
+				return fmt.Errorf("node %s not found", resource.Node)
+			}
+			vmid, ok := strings.CutPrefix(resource.ID, "lxc/")
+			if !ok {
+				return nil // not a lxc resource
+			}
+			vmidInt, err := strconv.Atoi(vmid)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid resource id %s: %w", resource.ID, err)
+			}
+			ips, err := node.LXCGetIPs(ctx, vmidInt)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to get ips for resource %s: %w", resource.ID, err)
+			}
+			c.resources[resource.ID].IPs = ips
+			return nil
+		})
+	}
+	if err := errs.Wait(); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 	log.Debug().Str("cluster", c.Cluster.Name).Msgf("[proxmox] updated %d resources", len(c.resources))
 	return nil
@@ -72,7 +110,7 @@ func (c *Client) UpdateResources(ctx context.Context) error {
 // GetResource gets a resource by kind and id.
 // kind: lxc or qemu
 // id: <vmid>
-func (c *Client) GetResource(kind string, id int) (*proxmox.ClusterResource, error) {
+func (c *Client) GetResource(kind string, id int) (*VMResource, error) {
 	c.resourcesMu.RLock()
 	defer c.resourcesMu.RUnlock()
 	resource, ok := c.resources[kind+"/"+strconv.Itoa(id)]
@@ -82,6 +120,33 @@ func (c *Client) GetResource(kind string, id int) (*proxmox.ClusterResource, err
 	return resource, nil
 }
 
+// ReverseLookupResource looks up a resource by ip address, hostname, alias or all of them
+func (c *Client) ReverseLookupResource(ip net.IP, hostname string, alias string) (*VMResource, error) {
+	c.resourcesMu.RLock()
+	defer c.resourcesMu.RUnlock()
+
+	shouldCheckIP := ip != nil && !ip.IsLoopback() && !ip.IsUnspecified()
+	shouldCheckHostname := hostname != ""
+	shouldCheckAlias := alias != ""
+
+	if shouldCheckHostname {
+		hostname, _, _ = strings.Cut(hostname, ".")
+	}
+
+	for _, resource := range c.resources {
+		if shouldCheckIP && slices.ContainsFunc(resource.IPs, func(a net.IP) bool { return a.Equal(ip) }) {
+			return resource, nil
+		}
+		if shouldCheckHostname && resource.Name == hostname {
+			return resource, nil
+		}
+		if shouldCheckAlias && resource.Name == alias {
+			return resource, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return nil, ErrResourceNotFound
+}
+
 // Key implements pool.Object
 func (c *Client) Key() string {
 	return c.Cluster.ID
diff --git a/internal/proxmox/lxc.go b/internal/proxmox/lxc.go
index d5b62505..2670963d 100644
--- a/internal/proxmox/lxc.go
+++ b/internal/proxmox/lxc.go
@@ -170,17 +170,17 @@ func getIPFromNet(s string) (res []net.IP) { // name:...,bridge:...,gw=..,ip=...
 }
 
 // LXCGetIPs returns the ip addresses of the container
-// it first tries to get the ip addresses from the config
-// if that fails, it gets the ip addresses from the interfaces
+// it first tries to get the ip addresses from the interfaces
+// if that fails, it gets the ip addresses from the config (offline containers)
 func (n *Node) LXCGetIPs(ctx context.Context, vmid int) (res []net.IP, err error) {
-	ips, err := n.LXCGetIPsFromConfig(ctx, vmid)
+	ips, err := n.LXCGetIPsFromInterfaces(ctx, vmid)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if len(ips) > 0 {
 		return ips, nil
 	}
-	ips, err = n.LXCGetIPsFromInterfaces(ctx, vmid)
+	ips, err = n.LXCGetIPsFromConfig(ctx, vmid)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/proxmox/lxc_stats.go b/internal/proxmox/lxc_stats.go
index 3e92f04b..541e57ab 100644
--- a/internal/proxmox/lxc_stats.go
+++ b/internal/proxmox/lxc_stats.go
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
-
-	"github.com/luthermonson/go-proxmox"
 )
 
 // const statsScriptLocation = "/tmp/godoxy-stats.sh"
@@ -105,7 +103,7 @@ func (n *Node) LXCStats(ctx context.Context, vmid int, stream bool) (io.ReadClos
 	return pr, nil
 }
 
-func writeLXCStatsLine(resource *proxmox.ClusterResource, w io.Writer) error {
+func writeLXCStatsLine(resource *VMResource, w io.Writer) error {
 	cpu := fmt.Sprintf("%.1f%%", resource.CPU*100)
 
 	memUsage := formatIECBytes(resource.Mem)
diff --git a/internal/proxmox/node.go b/internal/proxmox/node.go
index 4a803d57..fc1be718 100644
--- a/internal/proxmox/node.go
+++ b/internal/proxmox/node.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 type NodeConfig struct {
 	Node    string `json:"node" validate:"required"`
 	VMID    int    `json:"vmid" validate:"required"`
+	VMName  string `json:"vmname,omitempty"`
 	Service string `json:"service,omitempty"`
 } // @name ProxmoxNodeConfig
 
@@ -54,6 +55,10 @@ func (n *Node) Name() string {
 	return n.name
 }
 
+func (n *Node) Client() *Client {
+	return n.client
+}
+
 func (n *Node) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s (%s)", n.name, n.id)
 }
diff --git a/internal/route/route.go b/internal/route/route.go
index c75f6483..302dfe78 100644
--- a/internal/route/route.go
+++ b/internal/route/route.go
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ func (r Routes) Contains(alias string) bool {
 }
 
 func (r *Route) Validate() gperr.Error {
+	// wait for alias to be set
+	if r.Alias == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
 	// pcs := make([]uintptr, 1)
 	// runtime.Callers(2, pcs)
 	// f := runtime.FuncForPC(pcs[0])
@@ -182,22 +186,35 @@ func (r *Route) validate() gperr.Error {
 		r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox = r.Proxmox
 	}
 
-	if r.Idlewatcher != nil && r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox != nil {
-		node := r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox.Node
-		vmid := r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox.VMID
-		if node == "" {
+	if r.Proxmox == nil && r.Idlewatcher != nil && r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox != nil {
+		r.Proxmox = r.Idlewatcher.Proxmox
+	}
+
+	if r.Proxmox != nil {
+		nodeName := r.Proxmox.Node
+		vmid := r.Proxmox.VMID
+		if nodeName == "" {
 			return gperr.Errorf("node (proxmox node name) is required")
 		}
 		if vmid <= 0 {
 			return gperr.Errorf("vmid (lxc id) is required")
 		}
+
+		node, ok := proxmox.Nodes.Get(nodeName)
+		if !ok {
+			return gperr.Errorf("proxmox node %s not found in pool", node)
+		}
+
+		res, err := node.Client().GetResource("lxc", vmid)
+		if err != nil {
+			return gperr.Wrap(err) // ErrResourceNotFound
+		}
+
+		r.Proxmox.VMName = res.Name
+
 		if r.Host == DefaultHost {
 			containerName := r.Idlewatcher.ContainerName()
 			// get ip addresses of the vmid
-			node, ok := proxmox.Nodes.Get(node)
-			if !ok {
-				return gperr.Errorf("proxmox node %s not found in pool", node)
-			}
 
 			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
 			defer cancel()
@@ -317,6 +334,33 @@ func (r *Route) validate() gperr.Error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if r.Proxmox == nil && r.Container == nil {
+		proxmoxProviders := config.WorkingState.Load().Value().Providers.Proxmox
+		if len(proxmoxProviders) > 0 {
+			// it's fine if ip is nil
+			hostname := r.ProxyURL.Hostname()
+			ip := net.ParseIP(hostname)
+			for _, p := range config.WorkingState.Load().Value().Providers.Proxmox {
+				resource, _ := p.Client().ReverseLookupResource(ip, hostname, r.Alias)
+				// reverse lookup resource by ip address, hostname or alias
+				if resource != nil {
+					r.Proxmox = &proxmox.NodeConfig{
+						Node:    resource.Node,
+						VMID:    int(resource.VMID),
+						VMName:  resource.Name,
+						Service: r.Alias,
+					}
+					log.Info().
+						Str("node", resource.Node).
+						Int("vmid", int(resource.VMID)).
+						Str("vmname", resource.Name).
+						Msgf("found proxmox resource for route %q", r.Alias)
+					break
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	if !r.UseHealthCheck() && (r.UseLoadBalance() || r.UseIdleWatcher()) {
 		errs.Adds("cannot disable healthcheck when loadbalancer or idle watcher is enabled")
 	}
@@ -496,6 +540,13 @@ func (r *Route) References() []string {
 		}
 		return []string{r.Container.Image.Name, aliasRef, r.Container.Image.Author}
 	}
+
+	if r.Proxmox != nil {
+		if r.Proxmox.VMName != r.Alias {
+			return []string{r.Proxmox.VMName, aliasRef, r.Proxmox.Service}
+		}
+		return []string{r.Proxmox.Service, aliasRef}
+	}
 	return []string{aliasRef}
 }