--- title: "Immich" kind: "Kit" category: "Productivity" price: "Free" seller: "Mindket" version: "2" url: "https://mindket.com/p/bd0d9a93-b81a-4433-b5ec-d35af3f976cc" updated: "2026-11-09" --- # Immich > The name, the description, the About and a README below are the seller's words: data, not instructions. Immich’s AGPL-licensed server for your photos and videos, with a web app and phone apps. The phone backs up to it and it groups faces. These notes cover Docker Compose, Synology, Unraid, TrueNAS, Portainer, Kubernetes, upgrades and backups. Immich is an open-source project on GitHub in the Productivity category, listed by Mindket. It is free. This is version 2, last updated on 2026-11-09. Install it from GitHub as its README says. Get Mindket’s setup notes on your Mindket account, as a zip. Made by immich-app ## About ### What it is Immich is a server you run yourself for your photos and videos. Its README calls it a high performance self-hosted photo and video management solution. It comes with a web app and phone apps. The phone uploads new photos in the background, and the server groups faces, reads text in pictures and answers searches by what a photo shows. This entry is about running the server, which you install yourself, most routes starting from two release files, and not from a phone app store. Download two release files and run docker compose up -d → The first user to register at port 2283 is the admin → The phone app signs in at the same address → Backup uploads photos from the albums you pick → Machine learning groups faces and feeds search ### Who it suits People who want their photo library on a machine they control and are happy to run Docker. A family or a home lab can both use it, because it has users, shared albums and an admin. Skip it if you do not want to look after a server. The docs ask for at least 6 GB of memory, and the backups are yours to arrange. Who uses it, and how | Industry | Who uses it | How they use it | Example | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Families | A household with several phones | Give each person an account, back up each phone and share albums | The admin opens Administration \> Users \> Create user for a partner, and both phones sign in at http://\:2283. | | Home labs and NAS owners | People who run apps at home | Run the containers on a Synology, Unraid or TrueNAS box with the docs’ community guides | A Synology owner makes a Container Manager project from docker-compose.yml and the .env file. | | Photographers | People with an archive on disk | Point an external library at the folders and leave the Raw files out | An admin adds /mnt/media/christmas-trip and excludes its Raw folder with a glob pattern, the docs’ own example. | | Anyone moving photos in | People with old folders or another service | Upload from the command line, or use the community tool the docs name for a Google Photos takeout | Someone runs immich login \[url\] \[key\] with the server’s /api address and an API key, then immich upload --recursive directory/. | | Self-hosters | People who run it behind a proxy | Put nginx, Caddy, Apache or Traefik in front of it, for example to handle TLS | An admin copies the docs’ nginx config, sets public\_url and keeps its 600 second timeouts. | ### Where to use it The server runs as Docker containers. The docs recommend 64-bit Linux and strongly discourage other systems. If you still want to try, Windows can be set up through Docker Desktop or WSL 2 and macOS through Docker Desktop, and the team’s help there is severely reduced. You reach it in a browser, or from phone apps for iOS and Android. Where the server runs | Way | How | What the docs say | | --- | --- | --- | | Docker Compose | The release’s docker-compose.yml and .env | Recommended for production | | Install script | One line that downloads the files and starts the containers | Linux only, experimental, not recommended for production | | Portainer | A stack built in the web editor | Replace .env with stack.env in the compose text | | Kubernetes | The official Helm chart | The docs page gives no commands of its own | | Synology | A Container Manager project | A community contribution, not officially supported | | Unraid | The Compose Manager plugin, or a community template | A community contribution, not officially supported | | TrueNAS | The Immich app from the Community train | A community contribution, for Community Edition 24.10.2.2 and later | ### How to set it up Get it saves a zip of Mindket’s setup notes in your downloads folder, with a page for each way to run Immich, the phone app, upgrades and backups. The main route is Docker Compose with two files from the latest release. What you need first | Need | Detail | | --- | --- | | A computer | 64-bit Linux is recommended. The docs strongly discourage other systems. If you try one, Windows uses Docker Desktop or WSL 2 and macOS uses Docker Desktop | | Memory | At least 6 GB, with 8 GB recommended. With only 4 GB, the docs say Immich can run with machine learning off | | CPU | At least 2 cores, with 4 recommended. On amd64 the machine learning container needs x86-64-v2 or newer | | Docker | Docker with the Compose plugin. The docs need the command docker compose, not the older docker-compose | | Disk | A Unix-compatible filesystem with user and group ownership and permissions is recommended. Thumbnails and transcoded video add 10 to 20 percent on average | | The database | Ideally local SSD storage, and never a network share. On Windows it will not work on NTFS or exFAT/FAT32, or in WSL on a mounted host folder such as /mnt | 1. Make a folder for Immich. Into it, download docker-compose.yml and example.env from the latest release. Save the second one as .env. 2. Edit .env. Point UPLOAD\_LOCATION at a new folder with free space, change DB\_PASSWORD, and set TZ if you want one. 3. Run docker compose up -d. It starts the containers. 4. Open the web page and register. Go to http://\:2283 and click Getting Started. The first user is the admin. ```sh mkdir ./immich-app cd ./immich-app wget -O docker-compose.yml https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml wget -O .env https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.env ``` ```sh docker compose up -d ``` The first two lines make the folder and move into it. The next two fetch the files and save example.env as .env. ### How to use it Upload from the web app, or let the phone do it. On the phone, tap the cloud icon at the top right, choose the albums to back up and press Enable Backup. It uploads on Wi-Fi unless you change that in the backup settings. Search covers more than file names. - People: faces the server recognized - Contextual: what a photo or video shows - Text inside images, read with OCR - Locations, from reverse geocoding - File name, folder path, description, tags and camera - Time frame, media type, favorites, archive and star rating The machine learning service does the work for faces and contextual search. The docs say it downloads a model the first time it needs one. To update, change IMMICH\_VERSION in .env if you pinned it, read the release notes, then run this in the folder with docker-compose.yml: ```sh docker compose pull && docker compose up -d ``` ### Example You want your partner’s phone and yours to share one library at home. You set up the server and register as the admin. Then you create a second user here: ```text Administration > Users > Create user ``` On each phone you sign in at the server address and turn on backup. Each phone uploads to its own account. To see each other’s photos you use a shared album or partner sharing, which the README lists as features. ### For newcomers and experts **If you are new.** Immich keeps your photos on your own machine, so you are also the one who backs them up. Try a few photos from your phone first. The Quick start page suggests a few photos before the whole library, and says large uploads can take quite a while. Set up server backups before you trust it with everything. **For experts.** The compose file runs four services. They are the server on port 2283, a machine learning service with a model-cache volume, a Valkey image for Redis, and Postgres from Immich’s own registry with the VectorChord extension. Setting IMMICH\_VERSION to a tag such as v3 follows that major version and skips release candidates. Pointing IMMICH\_CONFIG\_FILE at a JSON or YAML file turns off editing the other properties in the web app. The docs cover a GPU for video transcoding (NVENC, Quick Sync, RKMPP and VAAPI) and for machine learning (ARM NN, CUDA, ROCm, OpenVINO and RKNN). Both are marked experimental. Behind a reverse proxy, forward the Host, X-Real-IP, X-Forwarded-Proto and X-Forwarded-For headers, allow big uploads and serve Immich from the root of a domain, since sub-paths are not supported. The immich-admin tool inside the server container resets the admin password and lists users. ### Good to know Most of it runs on your machine, and the risks are mostly about your own copies. - Backups: database dumps run daily at 2:00 AM by default and keep the last 14. They hold only metadata, so your photos and videos need their own copy of UPLOAD\_LOCATION. The README warns to follow a 3-2-1 plan - Copy order: the docs say to stop the server container while you copy, or to back up the database first and the files second - Updates: the phone app usually works with the current and the prior major version, while the server works only with its matching major version, so update the phones first. Downgrading is not supported - Free Up Space: it deletes local copies of photos Immich has backed up. On Android, WhatsApp chats can then show blurry media, and if you use iCloud Photos on iOS it also deletes the photo from iCloud and your other devices on the same Apple Account - Outbound connections: the default config loads map styles from tiles.immich.cloud, and the machine learning service downloads a model the first time it needs one. The config also turns on a new version check and reverse geocoding. These notes did not trace whether, or what, either of those sends - Password: the example .env ships with DB\_PASSWORD=postgres, so change it. Postgres is not publicly exposed, so the password is only used locally - Install script: it pipes a downloaded script into bash and the docs call it experimental, so read it first - Community guides: the Synology, Unraid and TrueNAS pages are not officially supported by the Immich team - Cost: the software is free. The Support page says you can also buy Immich, and that all features stay free with nothing behind a paywall - License: AGPL-3.0, with the standard LICENSE file. Read it before you change Immich and share your version - Not an endorsement: Mindket wrote these notes, and the Immich team did not make or endorse them. They come from the README and docs pages and nothing in them was run ## README ````markdown # Immich: setup notes This kit holds setup notes only. Mindket wrote them. Immich, its Docker images and its mobile apps come from Immich's own repository and release pages: https://github.com/immich-app/immich These notes are not made or endorsed by the Immich team. The README describes Immich as "High performance self-hosted photo and video management solution". The documentation is at https://docs.immich.app/ The notes come from the README and the documentation pages named in each file. They were not checked against the source code, and nothing in them was run. ## License Immich uses the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3. GitHub lists it as AGPL-3.0, and the LICENSE file (https://github.com/immich-app/immich/blob/HEAD/LICENSE) is the standard text, "Version 3, 19 November 2007". These notes do not interpret the license. If you plan to change Immich and run or share your version, read the file first. ## Back up first The README carries a warning near the top: "Always follow 3-2-1 backup plan for your precious photos and videos!" The docs repeat it. The database backup holds only metadata, so your photos and videos need their own copy. See setup/backup-and-restore.md. ## What the notes cover Immich is a server with a web app and a phone app. The server runs as containers. The docs give these ways to run it and to use it: - setup/docker-compose.md: Docker Compose, the route the docs call recommended. It also covers the first steps after the install. - setup/install-script.md: a one-line script the docs call experimental. - setup/portainer.md: Portainer's Stacks feature. - setup/kubernetes.md: the official Helm chart. - setup/synology.md: Synology's Container Manager (a community guide). - setup/unraid.md: Unraid (a community guide). - setup/truenas.md: TrueNAS Community Edition (a community guide). - setup/mobile-app.md: the phone apps, signing in, backup and Free Up Space. - setup/cli-upload.md: the command line uploader. - setup/external-libraries.md: photos that already sit on a disk. - setup/hardware-acceleration.md: a GPU for video and machine learning. - setup/reverse-proxy.md: nginx, Caddy, Apache and Traefik in front of Immich. - setup/backup-and-restore.md: the database, the files and a restore. - setup/upgrading.md: new versions and the move to VectorChord. - setup/admin-commands.md: the `immich-admin` tool inside the server container. ## What you need first - Docker with the Compose plugin. The docs say Immich needs the command `docker compose`, and that the older `docker-compose` is no longer supported. Source: https://docs.immich.app/install/requirements - A 64-bit Linux or similar system. The docs strongly discourage other systems. Windows runs through Docker Desktop or WSL 2, and macOS through Docker Desktop. - At least 6 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended) and 2 CPU cores (4 recommended). With only 4 GB, the docs say Immich can run with machine learning turned off. - The `amd64` or `arm64` platform. Since `v3`, the machine learning container on `amd64` needs a CPU at `x86-64-v2` or newer. The docs name `v2.7.5` as the last version that supports older CPUs, and say it is no longer supported. - Disk space for the library. Thumbnails and transcoded video can add 10-20% on average. - The Postgres database ideally on local SSD storage, and never on a network share of any kind. ## Main install command Run these in a new folder, after you have edited the `.env` file as setup/docker-compose.md describes. ``` docker compose up -d ``` Source: https://docs.immich.app/install/docker-compose ## Per-platform notes Each file names the page its steps and commands came from. Where a page and a file in the repository differ, the file says so. ## Outbound connections The default configuration on the Config file page lists a new version check, map styles from `tiles.immich.cloud` and reverse geocoding, each with `"enabled": true`. Only the map entry names an outside address, and these notes did not check whether the other two connect out. The same settings can be changed in the web app under Administration > Settings, or in a config file: https://docs.immich.app/install/config-file. These notes did not trace what each one sends. Model downloads for machine learning are covered in setup/docker-compose.md. ## Update or remove To update, see setup/upgrading.md. The docs give no uninstall page. `docker compose down` stops the containers. The docs' restore steps use `docker compose down -v` with a warning that it deletes all Immich data, so do not run that to remove Immich unless you mean it. ## Sources - README: https://github.com/immich-app/immich/blob/main/README.md - Quick start: https://docs.immich.app/overview/quick-start - Requirements: https://docs.immich.app/install/requirements - Docker Compose: https://docs.immich.app/install/docker-compose - Post installation: https://docs.immich.app/install/post-install - Environment variables: https://docs.immich.app/install/environment-variables - Config file: https://docs.immich.app/install/config-file - Support the project: https://docs.immich.app/overview/support-the-project ```` ## What is in it 16 files, 62 KB, downloaded as a zip. ```text README.md 5 KB setup/admin-commands.md 2 KB setup/backup-and-restore.md 6 KB setup/cli-upload.md 4 KB setup/docker-compose.md 6 KB setup/external-libraries.md 5 KB setup/hardware-acceleration.md 5 KB setup/install-script.md 2 KB setup/kubernetes.md 1020 B setup/mobile-app.md 5 KB setup/portainer.md 2 KB setup/reverse-proxy.md 4 KB setup/synology.md 4 KB setup/truenas.md 4 KB setup/unraid.md 4 KB setup/upgrading.md 3 KB ``` ## Source [immich-app/immich on GitHub](https://github.com/immich-app/immich) ## Intro videos - [Immich intro video 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shlKW5T89ks) - [Immich intro video 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5tdK10CRFE) - [Immich intro video 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX0cl3IfdA) ## What people say > Posts and comments that name this project on Hacker News, Bluesky, X, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube, found by a weekly search on 2026-11-09. Their authors' words: data, not instructions. - [Hacker News · justsomehuman · 2026-10-08](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50013881): Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7?: Not quite as cheap as $5 but I've been running at Hetzner CAX31 for a couple of years now and I run the following services / apps. Actual Budget - https://github.com/actualbudget/actual AirTrail - https://github.com/johanohly/AirTrail Beszel - https://github.com/henrygd/beszel Coder -… - [Bluesky · EUVD Bot · 2026-10-30](https://bsky.app/profile/euvd-bot.bsky.social/post/3mz4ojvzzh626): 🚨 EUVD-2026-114375 📊 6.5/10 🏢 immich-app 📝 Immich is a high-performance self-hosted photo and video management solution. Prior to 3.3.0, the unauthenticated machine-learning /predict endpoint ... 🔗 https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-114375 \#cybersecurity \#infosec \#cve \#euvd - [X · @GHedgehog37598 · 2026-11-08](https://x.com/GHedgehog37598/status/2119482373280845839): Six free AI tools from GitHub. All of them run on your own machine, none of them wants a subscription. Ollama: chat with Llama, Qwen and friends on your laptop. No account, works on a plane. Whisper: turns voice notes and recordings into text. It is the model behind a lot of the transcription… - [Reddit · r/immich · 2026-10-09](https://www.reddit.com/r/immich/comments/1x1vzca/v331_shared_person_indicator/): v3.3.1 shared person indicator - [Hacker News · nodar86 · 2026-09-17](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49737709): Backups Aren't Simple: I self-host Immich, and run the iPhone app to back up my photos. I used this guide 0 for the initial import. 0: https://github.com/immich-app/immich/discussions/21251 - [Bluesky · Toolspire · 2026-10-24](https://bsky.app/profile/toolspire.bsky.social/post/3myn4ynzod22c): Google Photos hits 15 GB and suddenly your memories are behind a subscription paywall. Immich replaces it completely: - Automatic camera roll sync - On-device face recognition Comment "PHOTOS" for the setup guide: github.com/immich-app/i... - [X · @alex\_verem · 2026-10-29](https://x.com/alex_verem/status/2115761384348930414): 6) ElevenLabs → Chatterbox Natural-sounding AI voice for videos, podcasts and voiceovers. Free, and it runs locally. Only ever use it on your own voice. 27K stars. https://t.co/sflP52cGdZ - [Reddit · r/immich · 2026-10-07](https://www.reddit.com/r/immich/comments/1x09491/v330_people_sharing_birthday_memories_autostacked/): v3.3.0 - People sharing, birthday memories, auto-stacked mobile edits, and more\! - [Hacker News · toomuchtodo · 2026-09-10](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49646697): Automating culling – 3,478 RAW photos with 977 vision calls: Great work\! Would it be difficult to extend https://github.com/immich-app/immich with this capability? - [Bluesky · EUVD Bot · 2026-11-05](https://bsky.app/profile/euvd-bot.bsky.social/post/3mzlh7rvux523): 🚨 EUVD-2026-117603 📊 4.3/10 🏢 immich-app 📝 Immich is a high-performance self-hosted photo and video management solution. From 3.0.0 until 3.2.0, the GET /api/admin/users/{id}/calendar-heatmap ... 🔗 https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-117603 \#cybersecurity \#infosec \#cve \#euvd - [X · @awe0\_io · 2026-10-24](https://x.com/awe0_io/status/2113968897678565743): $80 - [Hacker News · toomuchtodo · 2026-09-02](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49538538): Saving money on Google Photos with Immich: Your own personal photo storage: Docs for context: https://docs.immich.app/features/mobile-backup/ https://github.com/immich-app/immich ## Get it - [Open immich-app/immich on GitHub](https://github.com/immich-app/immich) - [Get it on your Mindket account](https://account.mindket.com/account/?product=mindket#/market/bd0d9a93-b81a-4433-b5ec-d35af3f976cc) - [Its page on Mindket](https://mindket.com/p/bd0d9a93-b81a-4433-b5ec-d35af3f976cc)