The self-hosted photo app that makes Google Photos nervous

Tired of handing over your baby pictures, vacation selfies, and questionable “accidental” screenshots to Big Tech?

Meet Immich — the open-source, self-hosted photo and video backup app that lets you store your memories on your own turf.

Think of it as Google Photos without the creepy “suggested memories” of your ex from 2014.

What is Immich?

Immich is basically your own private cloud photo service. It:

• Backs up your photos and videos from your phone, tablet, or computer.
• Lets you access them from anywhere (yes, even the couch).
• Runs on your home network so you keep full control.
• Looks sleek enough to make you forget you’re not paying a subscription.

You can run it on a server, a NAS, a Raspberry Pi, or even that dusty mini-PC you bought in 2012 because you were “totally going to use it", I am this guy.

Why install Immich at home?

1. Privacy – Your pictures stay with you. Not in some mystery server farm guarded by interns and NDAs.
2. No Storage Fees – Your disk space, your rules.
3. Nostalgia – Hosting stuff yourself feels like the good old days when the internet was weird and fun.

How to install Immich on your home network (via Docker)

Yes, we’re using Docker. You won't belive me saying this but it is a must for this app. Why? Because it’s 2025 and if you’re not using Docker, some DevOps person will show up and judge your life choices. Here we go...

Step 1: Get your stuff together

You’ll need:

• A server or PC that’s always on (Linux, macOS, or Windows). I suggest Ubuntu for this one.
• Docker installed (Docker Install Guide).
• Docker Compose installed (Install Guide).

Step 2: Create a folder for Immich

mkdir immich
cd immich

This is where all the Immich magic will live.

Step 3: Get the Docker compose file

wget -O docker-compose.yml https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml

Step 4: Get the .env file

wget -O .env https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.env

Populate the .env file using nano .env to change database or other settings if you want but you don't need to.

Step 5: Launch the beast

From inside your immich folder, run:

docker compose up -d

If you have some kind of permission warning you need to know that the user which is running the docker must be in the docker group.

Docker will now download all the stuff it needs. Grab a coffee — or three — depending on your internet speed.

Step 5: Access your Immich app

Once it’s done, open your browser and go to:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:2283

Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your local IP.
You’ll be greeted with the Immich setup page, where you can create your admin account and start uploading.

Step 6: Install the mobile app

Immich has an official mobile app for Android and iOS. Just point it to your home server’s address, log in, and boom — automatic photo backups without selling your soul to Silicon Valley.

Final Thoughts

Immich is one of those projects that makes you wonder, “Why wasn’t I doing this sooner?”

It’s private, fast, and actually fun to set up — plus you can brag to your friends:

“Yeah, I host my own photo cloud. No big deal.”

Just don’t forget to back up your backups… because “I lost my wedding photos” is not a fun conversation to have.