Community Applications (CA)

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Get your plugin into the official Unraid® app store.

Overview

Community Applications (CA) is the primary plugin/container discovery platform for Unraid®. Getting your plugin listed in CA makes it easily discoverable and installable by Unraid® users.

The CA plugins section displays available plugins sorted by popularity, showing download counts and quick-access actions

How CA Works

1. CA maintains a repository of application templates
2. Users browse/search within the CA interface
3. Selecting your plugin triggers installation via Plugin Manager
4. CA handles version checking and updates

Requirements for Listing

To get your plugin listed in Community Applications, you need:

1. A working PLG file - Hosted at a stable URL
2. Support thread - On the Unraid forums
3. CA XML template - Describes your plugin to CA
4. Icon - PNG image for the CA interface

CA XML Template

The template file describes your plugin to Community Applications. It contains display information (name, description, icon), installation URL (direct link to your PLG file), and categorization for the app browser. Host this file in your repository or submit it to the CA templates repo.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Containers>
    <Plugin>
        <Name>My Plugin Name</Name>
        <PluginURL>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/username/repo/main/myplugin.plg</PluginURL>
        <PluginAuthor>Your Name</PluginAuthor>
        <Description>
A brief description of what your plugin does. This appears in search results.

A longer description can follow. Use plain text, basic formatting is supported.
        </Description>
        <Icon>https://raw.githubusercontent.com/username/repo/main/icon.png</Icon>
        <Category>Tools: Productivity:</Category>
        <Support>https://forums.unraid.net/topic/12345-my-plugin-support/</Support>
        <Project>https://github.com/username/repo</Project>
        <MinVer>6.9.0</MinVer>
        <MaxVer>7.99</MaxVer>
    </Plugin>
</Containers>

Template Elements

Element	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Display name in CA interface
PluginURL	Yes	Direct URL to your .plg file
PluginAuthor	Yes	Your name/handle
Description	Yes	What the plugin does
Icon	Yes	URL to 256x256 PNG icon
Category	Yes	CA categories (colon-separated)
Support	Recommended	URL to support forum thread
Project	Recommended	URL to source code/project
MinVer	Recommended	Minimum Unraid version
MaxVer	Optional	Maximum Unraid version

Categories

Use appropriate categories to help users find your plugin:

Category	Description
Tools:	General utilities and tools
Tools:System	System management tools
Tools:Utilities	General utilities
Network:	Network-related plugins
Network:Management	Network management
Backup:	Backup solutions
Productivity:	Productivity tools
Status:	Monitoring and status
Security:	Security-related plugins

Multiple categories can be combined: Tools:System:Status:

Icon Requirements

• Format: PNG (with transparency recommended)
• Size: 256x256 pixels (minimum)
• Style: Clear, recognizable at small sizes
• Hosting: GitHub raw URL or other reliable CDN

📷 Screenshot needed: Plugin icons as displayed in CA

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/username/repo/main/images/icon.png

Submission Process

1. Prepare Your Plugin

Ensure your plugin:

• Works correctly on supported Unraid versions
• Has a stable PLG file URL
• Includes proper versioning

2. Create Support Thread

Create a support thread on the Unraid Forums:

• Choose an appropriate subforum
• Include installation instructions
• Document features and usage
• Monitor for user feedback

3. Create CA Template

Host your template XML file in your repository or submit it to the CA templates repository.

4. Submit to CA

Option A: CA Templates Repository (Recommended)

Fork and submit a pull request:

1. Fork the CA templates repository
2. Add your template XML to the appropriate folder
3. Submit a pull request
4. Wait for review and approval

Option B: Self-Hosted Template

Contact the CA maintainer via the forums with:

• Your template XML
• Link to your plugin
• Link to your support thread

5. Await Approval

The CA maintainer will review your submission:

• Verify plugin works correctly
• Check template accuracy
• Ensure support thread exists
• May request changes

Updating Your Plugin

When you release updates:

1. Update your PLG file - Increment version number
2. Update changelog - Add changes in the <CHANGES> section
3. CA auto-detects updates - No template changes needed for version bumps

If you change URLs or metadata, update your CA template as well.

Best Practices

Description Writing

<Description>
Brief one-line summary of what the plugin does.

Extended description explaining features:
- Feature 1: What it does
- Feature 2: Another capability
- Feature 3: Key functionality

Requirements: List any dependencies or requirements.
</Description>

Version Compatibility

Always specify minimum version requirements:

<MinVer>6.9.0</MinVer>

Set MaxVer only if your plugin is known to be incompatible with newer versions:

<MaxVer>6.12.99</MaxVer>

Changelog Visibility

Keep your PLG changelog updated - CA displays this to users:

<CHANGES>
### 2026.02.01
- Added new feature X
- Fixed bug in settings page

### 2026.01.15
- Initial release
</CHANGES>

Testing CA Integration

Before submitting, test that your plugin installs correctly:

1. Use the Plugin Manager’s “Install Plugin” feature
2. Enter your direct PLG URL
3. Verify installation completes without errors
4. Test all features work as expected
5. Verify uninstallation is clean

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Appearing in CA

• Verify template XML is valid
• Check PluginURL is accessible
• Ensure icon URL works
• Contact CA maintainer if approved but not showing

Installation Failures

• Check PLG file syntax
• Verify all download URLs work
• Test hash/checksum values
• Review server logs for errors

Updates Not Detected

• Ensure version number increased in PLG
• Check pluginURL matches CA template
• Clear browser cache and retry

Resources

• Community Applications Plugin
• CA Templates Repository
• Unraid Plugin Support Forums

Example Complete Workflow

1. Develop: Create and test your plugin locally
2. Host: Push to GitHub with PLG, icon, and template
3. Forum: Create support thread with documentation
4. Submit: Fork CA repo, add template, create PR
5. Maintain: Monitor thread, respond to issues, push updates

Related Topics

• PLG File Reference
• Build and Packaging
• Plugin Lifecycle