I've been reading about plugins and docker (dockers?) for a while now, but it was just a curiosity until I upgraded to Unraid 6. Now I'm trying to choose which one to go with. So here are my questions...

 

1. What is the difference between plugins and docker other than docker is more a general linux thing?

 

2. What are the benefits of plugins (like Phaze's) over docker and vice versa?

 

Thanks!

plugins are easier

docker is a bit more difficult, but not to extreme, doable.

 

plugins can interfere with the unraid system, dockers can not (or to a much lower extent)

my plugins usually install dependencies to an alternate directory so they won't interfere with the OS, but it's totally possible since they are not officially jailed off from the rest of the OS.

 

Docker installs its dependencies on the hard drive/cache drive so in a way it uses a little bit less ram. Performance on both is usually about the same.

I have a lot less problems now that I use docker over plugins. I feel like you can do a lot more with docker as well. The gui has basically effortless installs now if you set up the template repositories.

I have had a lot more problems with dockers. Only tried two so far: btsync and dropbox.

-btsync will randomly turn off upnp in it's options and the docker has ports mapped that I did not set.

-dropbox requires me to "authorize" it on the dropbox website every time I restart the docker. Unacceptable.

 

Both in plugin forms work perfectly!

docker

 

as time passes plugins will get less and less

docker

 

as time passes plugins will get less and less

 

I would hope they do not remove plugin support in favor of docker. Both have their uses. Some things are better as a plugin and some are better as a docker.

docker

 

as time passes plugins will get less and less

 

I would hope they do not remove plugin support in favor of docker. Both have their uses. Some things are better as a plugin and some are better as a docker.

 

What are some things that are better as plugins rather than dockers? There's probably something but I'm willing to bet over 90% of stuff would be better in a docker.

docker

 

as time passes plugins will get less and less

 

I would hope they do not remove plugin support in favor of docker. Both have their uses. Some things are better as a plugin and some are better as a docker.

 

What are some things that are better as plugins rather than dockers? There's probably something but I'm willing to bet over 90% of stuff would be better in a docker.

 

Really? You can't come up with this yourself? Any of the webgui addons.

I think that the fact that Limetech have adopted, and now support, some of the community-developed plugins, shows a long-term commitment to continue plugin support.

 

Yes, many services are better provided as dockers, but most utilities for managing the host/array are better provided as plugins.  Some other features are still better implemented in a VM.

There is no question what is better, but only which better suits your needs.

 

From my PoV Plugins are for example in general better where you need Hardwaresupport and dont have the ability to passthrought, for example when using TVHeadend on unRaid.

 

Docker containers are for more easy to keep up to date than unRaid Plugins and to develope. Especially because there is no real documentation of the unRaid Plugin system. There are a few guys here on the forum which are able to write Plugins and who know the magic tricks behind it, but these are not many.

 

For me, Docker containers are the way to go for services like Sabnzbd etc., plugins should only be used if there is no other way.

Docker is fully documented, so everybody with a bit of knowledge of the Linux Command line could create a Dockerized application.

Thats the key point. The effort and skill to create and maintain a plugin are vastly greater than a docker. Also one addon can and often does break another by messing with dependencys. This cannot happen in docker.

 

No one said anything about removing support for addons but as people learn docker you will see addon development start to dwindle because in most (not all) cases docker is superior.

 

So given the choice now choose docker.