Hosting Your Plugin

Where and how to host your plugin files for distribution.

GitHub is the most popular choice for hosting Unraid® plugins:

Advantages

  • Free hosting for public repositories
  • Releases feature for versioned downloads
  • Raw file URLs work directly with the Plugin Manager
  • Version control for your source code
  • Issue tracking for bug reports

Setting Up GitHub Hosting

  1. Create a public repository for your plugin
  2. Include your PLG file in the repository root
  3. Use GitHub Releases for versioned packages

URL Structure

For raw file access, use:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/USERNAME/REPO/BRANCH/filename.plg

For releases:

https://github.com/USERNAME/REPO/releases/download/TAG/filename.txz

Alternative Hosting Options

GitLab

Similar to GitHub with free public repositories and raw file access.

Self-Hosted

You can host files on your own web server, but ensure:

  • HTTPS is available (recommended)
  • Files are publicly accessible
  • URLs are stable and won’t change

PLG File URL Requirements

Your PLG file URL must:

  • Be publicly accessible (no authentication)
  • Return the raw file content (not an HTML page)
  • Be stable for update checking

Package Hosting

For your TXZ packages referenced in the PLG file:

<FILE Name="/boot/config/plugins/&name;/&name;-&version;.txz" Run="upgradepkg --install-new">
<URL>&gitURL;/releases/download/&version;/&name;-&version;.txz</URL>
</FILE>

Using GitHub Releases ensures:

  • Version-specific URLs that don’t change
  • Download statistics
  • Easy rollback to previous versions

Best Practices

  1. Use versioned URLs - Don’t overwrite files at the same URL
  2. Keep old versions available - Users may need to rollback
  3. Use HTTPS - Some systems may require secure connections
  4. Test your URLs - Verify files download correctly before publishing