I resolved this just now. The main cause of the issue is that I had two docker containers (qbittorrent, and sabnzbd) whose network stack relied on another container (gluetunvpn). From what I can tell, the WebUI on the docker tab seems to wait for the containers to come back up when they are in "rebuilding..." status. I found out that I had a few corrupt config files and xml files on USB (which I had transferred from a previous USB). The corrupt files were: root of usb flash drive\config\plugins\dynamix\dynamix.cfg root of usb flash drive\config\plugins\dockerMan\userprefs.cfg some of the xmls in: root of usb flash drive/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/ Luckily I had (older) backups of the top two files, the xml's I didn't have a recent copy of but I knew the port mappings etc, so I just let those get re-created after I deleted the corrupt ones. With the help of claude I was able to get it functional again. The process for me was: use unraid terminal to stop all the docker containers from running. get gluetunvpn container running get those two network reliant containers running which involved: re-creating a blank version of their xml user-template files restoring the contents from an old copy I had from a backup (lucky I had these, i dont even know where they are generated from) using the built-in rebuild scripts to re-create the containers to use the new xml files Once gluetunvpn was started, and the two reliant containers were started successfully, I was able to use the Docker tab WebUI to update/start/re-configure all my other containers etc. Hope this helps someone else. Below is a summary I had claude do, take it with a grain of salt # Unraid Docker Tab Recovery — 7.2.x
## Root Cause
Flash drive restore from a corrupted backup resulted in:
- Missing/corrupted XML user-template files for containers that use another container as their network stack (e.g. a VPN container like GluetunVPN)
- Without valid templates, affected containers showed `container:???` for their network
- The Docker tab would hang indefinitely waiting on those unresolvable container statuses
---
## Recovery Steps
### 1. Stop All Containers
From the Unraid terminal, stop everything so the Docker tab can attempt to load:
```bash
docker stop $(docker ps -q)
```
### 2. Start Your VPN Container First
If your containers use a VPN container (e.g. GluetunVPN) as their network stack, start it first and verify it connects successfully before proceeding:
```bash
docker start GluetunVPN
docker logs GluetunVPN --tail 20
```
Look for: `Initialization Sequence Completed`
### 3. Recreate Missing User Templates
Any containers whose XML templates are missing will fail to rebuild. Create blank files and populate from backup (adjust filenames to match your containers):
```bash
touch /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/my-container1.xml
touch /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/my-container2.xml
```
Edit each file with the backed-up XML contents:
```bash
nano /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/my-container1.xml
nano /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/my-container2.xml
```
### 4. Rebuild the Network-Dependent Containers
With the VPN container running and templates restored, rebuild the affected containers:
```bash
docker rm -f <container1> <container2>
/usr/local/emhttp/plugins/dynamix.docker.manager/scripts/rebuild_container <container1>
/usr/local/emhttp/plugins/dynamix.docker.manager/scripts/rebuild_container <container2>
```
### 5. Verify Docker Tab Loads
Refresh the Unraid WebUI Docker tab — it should now load without hanging.
### 6. Fix Any Remaining Container Issues
Run **Tools → Docker Safe New Perms** in the WebUI to fix any permission issues
caused by the flash restore. This resolved qBittorrent's WebUI not loading.
---
## Key Useful Terminal Commands
| Task | Command |
|------|---------|
| Stop all containers | `docker stop $(docker ps -q)` |
| Rebuild container from template | `/usr/local/emhttp/plugins/dynamix.docker.manager/scripts/rebuild_container <name>` |
| Restart php-fpm (fixes WebUI hangs) | `/etc/rc.d/rc.php-fpm restart` |
| Check for rogue php-fpm processes | `ps aux \| grep php-fpm` |
| View container logs | `docker logs <name> --tail 30` |
| Check container port mappings | `docker port <name>` |
| Check running processes inside container | `docker exec <name> ps aux` |
---
## Where User Templates Live
```
/boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/
```
These XML files define how each container is created. **Back these up regularly** —
they are the most critical files for recreating your Docker setup.
---
## Prevention / Backup Recommendations
1. **Back up templates-user folder to the array after any container changes:**
```bash
cp -r /boot/config/plugins/dockerMan/templates-user/ /mnt/user/appdata/unraid-template-backup/
```
2. **Use Unraid Connect** (Settings → Management Access) for automatic cloud flash backups
3. **Manual flash backup** after major changes: Main → Boot Device → Flash → Flash Backup
4. **Set autostart delays** on containers that depend on a VPN network stack (30-60 seconds) so the VPN container always connects before they try to attach to its network
---
## Container Start Order (Important)
Your VPN container **must** be running before any containers that use it as their network stack are started. If they start before the VPN container, they will show `container:???` and may cause the Docker tab to hang.
```bash
docker start <vpn-container>
sleep 15
docker start <container1> <container2>
```
Set autostart delays on network-dependent containers (30-60 seconds) in the Docker tab so the VPN container always comes up first on reboot.