using custom network type

on my router, i set a static ip for unraid and named it "server". i also setup a custom network named 'server' in unraid. so i am able to use http://server:ANYPORT and it connects to any docker on my browser. so in the docker containers, i set the network type: to custom: 'server'. the reason i used this method was to type in 'server' instead of unraids ip. i assumed this was ok to use so docker containers could connect instead of typing the ip. this was working fine but i am told that nobody does this. that the proper way to use this is for using the container name for the address instead of the custom network name. after installing the notifiarr client and setting the custom network to it, all the containers dont connect to 'server' anymore but they do if i use the unraid ip or the docker container name. if i turn off the notifiarr container, using 'server' works again. if i put it on bridge mode, the containers using 'server' for the address works again. so for now, i dont mind leaving it on bridge mode so that all containers using 'server' for the addresses continue to work and slowly change everything to the name of the container.

so, was just wondering, was i doing it wrong by using the name of the custom network as a hostname instead of the docker containers name?

im also going to have to change the name of some containers like those like binhex-qbittorrent to just bittorrent. is it safe to change these names? not sure if it will get updates and if so, ill have to change it each time. 

my last question is, are the names case sensitive?  would like to know this before i start updating the names as some are containers have capital letters. 

edit: tldr: i didnt think it was any different then using "localhost" for unraids docker containers by using "server" for the hostname. 

Edited October 26, 20223 yr by droopie