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"?>
<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>

Use either a Plugin root or a Containers root format expected by the target CA template type. Do not nest <Plugin> inside <Containers> for plugin templates.

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 and icon assets in your own public GitHub repository. This is the repository you will submit in the Asana form.

• Use your own repo as the primary submission source.
• Include one or more valid Unraid Docker or Plugin XML templates.
• Include a ca_profile.xml file with a non-empty <Profile> section for author/support information.
• Add an OSL-approved open source license for repository contents (templates, metadata, and docs).
• Ensure the repository is public, active, and not archived or disabled.

4. Submit to CA via Asana form

The current CA intake process uses the Asana submission form. This is the step that actually sends your plugin and template details to the CA maintainers.

• Community Applications Asana submission form

The Asana form typically asks for:

• Maintainer / author contact information
• GitHub repository URL containing your XML template
• Preferred repository name for CA listing
• Confirmation of GitHub 2FA and repository visibility
• Support thread URL and project XML requirements
• Agreement to Community Applications policies
• Optional comments or additional notes

Submit the form after your own repository is ready and your support thread exists.

The repository you submit should meet these requirements:

• Public and active GitHub repo (not private, archived, or disabled)
• Valid Unraid Docker or Plugin XML templates
• ca_profile.xml with a non-empty <Profile> section
• OSL-approved open source license for repository contents
• Icon assets and metadata hosted in the repository or via stable URLs

Helpful CA resources include:

• Submission Help
• Repository XML Format
• Repository Information XML
• XML Field Reference
• Builder Guide
• Starter Repository
• Forum Support Thread
• Contact Support

This form is the current official submission path. The ca.unraid.net/submit preview is a separate repo-based workflow and should be considered secondary until it is fully live.

New ca.unraid.net/submit preview

A new repository submission UI is also available, but it is not yet officially live and only partially works. Use the Asana form for current submissions.

The preview interface shows a repository-based workflow with requirements such as:

• Public GitHub repository with valid Unraid Docker or Plugin XML templates
• A ca_profile.xml file with author/support information
• An OSL-approved open source license for repository contents
• A GitHub URL entry and review step before submit

For reference, CA also documents the overall app process at:

• Unraid docs: Community Applications

Note: The https://ca.unraid.net/submit page is still in preview and should not be relied on for production submissions.

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