Self-Host Your Photos with Immich, the Best Google Photos Alternative
1 min read
Summary
Immich is an open-source photo and video management tool that can be hosted on a personal server, allowing users to avoid third-party cloud storage.
It is an alternative to Google Photos, enabling the upload of photos directly from mobile devices, organisation into albums and remote access.
To self-host Immich, users need to visit the official GitHub repository, download the necessary files, rename “example.env” to “.env” and open the command prompt, navigating to the folder containing the files.
Running the command “docker compose up -d” starts the Immich server.
Accessing Immich requires opening a web browser and visiting localhost:2283 to see the web interface, where new accounts can be made.
Account setup includes theme and language preferences, privacy settings and storage templates.
Managing media is simple, allowing the dragging and dropping of photos and videos into the web app, or selecting files through the upload button and verifying uploads in the Photos tab.
The map, explore, share and library sections allow users to view photos by location, browse their media collection, create albums and manage favourites.
