Media
Self-host Immich on a VPS
Self-hosted photo and video backup with a Google Photos feel.
Automatic mobile backup, a fast timeline, albums, search and map view — for your own photo library, on your own storage.
Why self-host Immich?
Your photo library is irreplaceable. Immich gives you the polished experience of a hosted service while keeping every original file on your disk.
How to install Immich
- 1
Provision a storage-heavy VPS
Photo libraries grow fast — plan for plenty of disk.
- 2
Install Docker Compose
Immich ships as a multi-container stack.
- 3
Configure the compose file
Set upload locations and database credentials.
- 4
Bring the stack up
Start the services and complete first-run setup.
- 5
Install the mobile app
Point it at your server and enable automatic backup.
Practical tips
- Keep uploads on a dedicated volume so you can expand storage cleanly.
- Disable the ML container on small VPSs to save RAM.
- Back up both the database and the upload folder — you need both to restore.
Frequently asked questions
- Does it back up automatically from my phone?
- Yes, the mobile app supports automatic background backup to your server.
- Can it search my photos?
- Yes — by date, location, people and, with the ML container, by content.
- Will it handle thousands of photos?
- Yes, though you should size disk and RAM for the library and enable ML only if you have headroom.
Looking for something else? Popular alternatives include PhotoPrism, Piwigo, LibrePhotos — browse all app guides.