Docker Page Speedup

An Unraid plugin that makes the Docker page load dramatically faster and reduces its CPU/GPU load on systems with many containers, with a settings page to tune both.

Two optimizations

1. Page-load speedup (template caching)

Every time the Docker page renders, Unraid's DockerClient.php calls getTemplateValue() about nine times per container (WebUI, MyIP, Shell, Registry, Support, Project, DonateLink, ReadMe, icon). Each call re-parses every container-template XML on the USB flash from scratch, with no caching, so the work is O(containers × ~9 fields × templates). On a busy box that's tens of thousands of flash reads on every page load (1–2 minute loads).

The plugin adds two in-request caches to DockerClient.php:

• getTemplates() memoizes the template directory listing per request.
• getTemplateValue() parses each template XML at most once per request.

Behaviour is identical; only the redundant flash reads are removed. O(containers × fields × templates) → O(templates).

Measured on a busy server (well over 100 containers), real getAllInfo():

2. Docker stats refresh interval (CPU/GPU load)

While the Docker page is open, Unraid's nchan/docker_load pusher runs docker stats on every container every second and the browser repaints the whole table each second, which is heavy on CPU and on the client GPU. The plugin lets you throttle that interval (default 5 s), sharply cutting the load. Setting it to 1 is the Unraid stock behaviour.

Settings

Settings → Utilities → Docker Page Speedup (or click the plugin's bolt icon on the Plugins page):

• Page-load speedup: Enabled / Disabled (Disabled restores the stock file).
• Docker stats refresh interval: 1 (stock) / 2 / 3 / 5 / 10 / 15 seconds.

Config persists at /boot/config/plugins/docker.page.speedup/docker.page.speedup.cfg.

How it works / safety

• The webGUI lives in RAM and is rebuilt stock on every boot, so both patches are re-applied at boot. This uses Unraid's documented behaviour: at boot rc.local runs plugin install for every .plg in /boot/config/plugins, which runs the plugin's install script (apply.sh).
• Config-driven and idempotent. apply.sh reads the saved config and makes the live files match; never double-patches.
• Anchor-guarded. The DockerClient.php patch only edits if all four exact code anchors match, so on any Unraid build whose code differs it does nothing (verified: it aborts and leaves the file byte-for-byte untouched).
• Verified. Runs php -l after patching and auto-rolls-back to stock on any parse error.
• Reversible. A stock backup of each file is kept; uninstall restores both, and a reboot restores stock regardless. Logs to syslog tag docker-page-speedup.

Note: there is no official Unraid hook to change these functions, so the plugin patches two stock webGUI files (DockerClient.php, nchan/docker_load) in place. This is inherently invasive by necessity, but done with the safeguards above.

Verified on Unraid 7.2.3 → 7.3.2.

Install

Plugins → Install Plugin:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ghzgod/unraid-docker-page-speedup/main/docker.page.speedup.plg

Uninstall

Remove it from the Plugins page. That restores stock DockerClient.php and docker_load.

Build

./build.sh [version] regenerates docker.page.speedup.plg from src/ (inline, secret-free).