diff --git a/glances/plugins/plugin/model.py b/glances/plugins/plugin/model.py
index ce0a764d..526bb641 100644
--- a/glances/plugins/plugin/model.py
+++ b/glances/plugins/plugin/model.py
@@ -53,9 +53,69 @@ fields_unit_type = {
 }
 
 
+class LazyViews(dict):
+    """Views for a list-of-dicts plugin, built per key on first access.
+
+    processlist can hold tens of thousands of items while the UI shows a few dozen rows, and
+    in curses mode nothing reads the views at all, so building them up front is pure waste.
+    Anything that reads the whole object goes through get_views(), which materialises it
+    first, so consumers still see a plain and complete dict.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, plugin, raw, key_field):
+        super().__init__()
+        self._plugin = plugin
+        self._items = {item[key_field]: item for item in raw}
+
+    def _build(self, key):
+        item = self._items[key]  # a genuinely unknown key raises KeyError, as a dict would
+        return {field: self._plugin._build_view_for_field(key=key, field=field) for field in item}
+
+    def __missing__(self, key):
+        built = self._build(key)
+        super().__setitem__(key, built)
+        return built
+
+    # Membership is deliberately left as dict's own: it reports what has been built, not what
+    # could be. _build_view_for_field() asks whether a previous view exists before indexing
+    # into it, and answering "yes" for an entry that is only about to be created sends it
+    # straight back in here.
+
+    def materialize(self):
+        """Build every remaining view and return self as a fully populated dict."""
+        for key in self._items:
+            if not super().__contains__(key):
+                super().__setitem__(key, self._build(key))
+        return self
+
+    def __iter__(self):
+        self.materialize()
+        return super().__iter__()
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        self.materialize()
+        return super().__len__()
+
+    def keys(self):
+        self.materialize()
+        return super().keys()
+
+    def values(self):
+        self.materialize()
+        return super().values()
+
+    def items(self):
+        self.materialize()
+        return super().items()
+
+
 class GlancesPluginModel:
     """Main class for Glances plugin model."""
 
+    # Build the per-item views on demand instead of up front. Only worth it for plugins whose
+    # item count is large and unrelated to how many rows the UI shows.
+    lazy_views = False
+
     def __init__(self, args=None, config=None, items_history_list=None, stats_init_value={}, fields_description=None):
         """Init the plugin of plugins model class.
 
@@ -669,6 +729,13 @@ class GlancesPluginModel:
         """
         ret = {}
 
+        # hide_zero makes _build_view_for_field() read the previous self.views, which a lazy
+        # container cannot provide: it is itself self.views by then, so the lookup would
+        # recurse into the entry being built. Fall back to building everything up front.
+        if self.lazy_views and not self.hide_zero and isinstance(self.get_raw(), list) and self.get_key() is not None:
+            self.views = LazyViews(self, self.get_raw(), self.get_key())
+            return self.views
+
         if self.get_raw() is not None and isinstance(self.get_raw(), list) and self.get_key() is not None:
             # Stats are stored in a list of dict (ex: DISKIO, NETWORK, FS...)
             for i in self.get_raw():
@@ -706,6 +773,9 @@ class GlancesPluginModel:
             item_views = self.views
         else:
             item_views = self.views[item]
+        if isinstance(item_views, LazyViews):
+            # The caller gets the object itself, so hand out a fully built one.
+            item_views = item_views.materialize()
         if key is None:
             return item_views
         if key not in item_views:
diff --git a/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py b/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
index 2e084490..1fd8dd56 100644
--- a/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
+++ b/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
@@ -122,6 +122,10 @@ class ProcesslistPlugin(GlancesPluginModel):
     stats is a list
     """
 
+    # The list holds every process on the machine while the UI shows a few dozen rows, and
+    # the curses output never reads the views at all. Build them on demand.
+    lazy_views = True
+
     # Default list of processes stats to be grabbed / displayed
     # Can be altered by glances_processes.disable_stats
     enable_stats = [
diff --git a/tests/test_lazy_views.py b/tests/test_lazy_views.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ae36ac71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_lazy_views.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+"""Tests for the lazily built process views."""
+
+import json
+from unittest import mock
+
+import pytest
+
+from glances.plugins.plugin.model import LazyViews
+from glances.plugins.processlist import ProcesslistPlugin
+
+
+def make_process(pid):
+    return {
+        'pid': pid,
+        'key': 'pid',
+        'name': f'proc{pid}',
+        'cmdline': [f'proc{pid}'],
+        'username': 'someone',
+        'status': 'S',
+        'nice': 0,
+        'num_threads': 1,
+        'cpu_percent': 0.0,
+        'memory_percent': 0.1,
+        'memory_info': {'rss': 1024, 'vms': 2048},
+        'cpu_times': {'user': 1.0, 'system': 1.0},
+        'io_counters': [0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
+        'time_since_update': 1.0,
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def plugin():
+    p = ProcesslistPlugin(args=mock.Mock(time=2), config=None)
+    p.stats = [make_process(pid) for pid in range(10)]
+    return p
+
+
+def built_count(views):
+    """How many entries exist without asking the lazy container to build more."""
+    return dict.__len__(views)
+
+
+def test_views_are_lazy_by_default(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    assert isinstance(plugin.views, LazyViews)
+    assert built_count(plugin.views) == 0
+
+
+def test_reading_one_key_builds_only_that_key(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    view = plugin.views[4]
+    assert view['cpu_percent']['decoration'] is not None
+    assert built_count(plugin.views) == 1
+
+
+def test_unknown_key_raises(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+        plugin.views[999999]
+
+
+def test_get_views_materializes_everything(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    views = plugin.get_views()
+    assert len(views) == 10
+    assert built_count(views) == 10
+
+
+def test_json_contains_every_process(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    assert len(json.loads(plugin.get_json_views())) == 10
+
+
+def test_hide_zero_falls_back_to_eager_views(plugin):
+    """hide_zero reads the previous view of a key, which a lazy container cannot provide."""
+    plugin.hide_zero = True
+    plugin.hide_zero_fields = ['cpu_percent']
+    plugin.update_views()
+    assert not isinstance(plugin.views, LazyViews)
+    assert len(plugin.views) == 10