Flickr

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Flickr

A curated collection of the 8 best self hosted alternatives to Flickr.

Flickr is an online photo and video hosting and sharing service that lets users upload, organize, tag, license, and share images and albums. It supports community discovery, galleries, and storage for photographers and organizations.

Alternatives List

#1
Pixelfed

Pixelfed

Self-hostable photo sharing network built on ActivityPub, offering Instagram-like publishing, federation with the Fediverse, and moderation/admin controls.

Pixelfed screenshot

Pixelfed is an Instagram-style photo sharing web application that supports federation with other servers via ActivityPub. It lets individuals and communities publish photos, follow accounts, like/comment on posts, and interact across the wider Fediverse (e.g., Mastodon) while remaining under the control of the instance operator.

Key Features

  • ActivityPub federation to follow and be followed by accounts on other Fediverse platforms
  • Media posting with captions, hashtags, and engagement (likes, comments, follows)
  • Timelines/feeds and discovery via tags (instance-dependent configuration)
  • Account privacy controls (public/private profiles and follower approvals)
  • Admin and moderation tooling (instance policies, content/report handling; capabilities vary by version)
  • API support and a web UI optimized for mobile use; many communities use third-party mobile clients

Use Cases

  • Host a community photo network for a club, school, or local group with federation enabled
  • Personal photo publishing with control over retention, domain, and policies
  • Organization-run creative portfolio hub that can interoperate with the Fediverse

Limitations and Considerations

  • Federation behavior and available features can differ by Pixelfed version and instance configuration.

Pixelfed provides a familiar photo-centric social experience while leveraging open federation standards. It is best suited for operators who want a photo-first social network that can interconnect with other Fediverse services and can be customized via instance policy and configuration.

6.8kstars
817forks
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#2
Photoview

Photoview

A self-hosted photo gallery that indexes folders on disk, extracts metadata, and provides a fast web UI for browsing, searching, and sharing albums.

Photoview screenshot

Photoview is a self-hosted photo gallery that scans folders on your server and presents them in a modern web interface. It focuses on organizing and browsing large personal photo libraries using metadata (EXIF) and folder structure, with features for sharing and multi-user access.

Key Features

  • Imports and indexes photos/videos from directories on disk (no manual uploads required)
  • Automatic metadata extraction (EXIF) and timeline/date-based browsing
  • Face recognition and person pages (optional feature)
  • Map/location browsing when GPS metadata is present
  • Web-based album browsing, search, and filtering
  • Multi-user support with authentication and per-user access control
  • Sharing via links for albums/media (for easy external viewing)
  • Docker-based deployment with database-backed indexing

Use Cases

  • Host a private “Google Photos-like” gallery for a household photo archive
  • Browse and search a large DSLR/phone library stored on a NAS by date/people/location
  • Create shareable albums for family or events without uploading to third-party clouds

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires an initial indexing/scan step; large libraries may take time to process
  • Some advanced capabilities (e.g., face recognition) depend on configuration and compute resources

Photoview is a practical option for turning an existing folder-based photo archive into a searchable, multi-user web gallery. It is best suited for users who want fast browsing and metadata-driven organization while keeping files in place on their own storage.

6.3kstars
449forks
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#3
Lychee

Lychee

A modern, web-based photo library and gallery for organizing albums, viewing metadata, and sharing photos securely from your own server.

Lychee screenshot

Lychee is a web-based photo management application that lets you upload, organize, browse, and share photo libraries through a clean gallery interface. It is designed for personal or small-team collections, with album organization and link-based sharing.

Key Features

  • Photo library management with albums (including nested albums)
  • Upload via web UI (with drag & drop) and support for importing existing folders
  • EXIF/IPTC metadata reading (camera, lens, exposure, dates) and map display when GPS data exists
  • Search and filtering to quickly find photos in large libraries
  • Sharing controls: public/private albums, link sharing, and password protection (depending on configuration)
  • Multiple user support and permissions (edition dependent) for shared libraries
  • Image processing for thumbnails/previews and orientation handling
  • Runs behind common reverse proxies and supports modern PHP deployments

Use Cases

  • Personal replacement for hosted photo galleries to organize family and travel photos
  • Small group or club photo archive with shared albums and controlled access
  • Publishing curated galleries (events/portfolios) with link-based sharing

Limitations and Considerations

  • Video support and advanced media features vary by deployment and enabled PHP extensions; verify requirements before large imports
  • Some collaboration features (e.g., fine-grained multi-user management) may depend on the specific Lychee edition/version you deploy

Lychee focuses on being a lightweight, pleasant web gallery with practical organization and sharing rather than a full digital asset management suite. It fits well for users who want a straightforward photo library with metadata, albums, and controlled public sharing.

4kstars
363forks
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#4
Piwigo

Piwigo

Piwigo is a self-hosted photo gallery for organizing, tagging, searching, and sharing large photo collections with albums, permissions, and extensibility via plugins.

Piwigo screenshot

Piwigo is a web-based photo gallery and photo management application designed for organizing and publishing photo collections, from personal libraries to large team or organizational archives. It focuses on scalable organization (albums, tags, metadata), granular sharing/permissions, and a plugin/theme ecosystem to adapt the gallery to different workflows.

Key Features

  • Album-based organization with nested categories and multiple display options
  • Tagging, ratings, comments, and powerful search/browse features
  • Metadata support (e.g., EXIF/IPTC) and batch management tools for large libraries
  • User and group management with configurable permissions for private/public galleries
  • Extensible via plugins and themes to add features and customize appearance
  • Upload workflows for web, FTP/sync tools, and bulk import for large collections
  • Multi-language interface and configurable gallery settings for different audiences

Use Cases

  • Create a private family or personal photo library with sharing links and access control
  • Publish a public photography portfolio or event gallery with albums and comments
  • Maintain an internal media archive for teams (marketing/assets) with tags and search

Limitations and Considerations

  • Advanced features often depend on selecting and maintaining the right plugins
  • Performance and storage planning becomes important for very large libraries

Piwigo provides a mature, customizable photo gallery with strong organization and permission controls. Its plugin/theme ecosystem makes it flexible for many scenarios, especially when you need a structured library rather than a simple “photo stream” experience.

3.7kstars
465forks
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#5
PiGallery2

PiGallery2

Self-hosted web photo gallery that indexes folders, reads EXIF/IPTC, supports maps/search, and serves optimized thumbnails with a responsive UI.

PiGallery2 screenshot

PiGallery2 is a self-hosted web photo gallery focused on browsing existing photo/video folders without importing them into a separate library. It indexes your directory structure, extracts common metadata, and provides a modern, responsive UI with fast thumbnail generation and search.

Key Features

  • Directory-based albums (mirrors your existing folder structure)
  • Automatic media indexing with configurable scanner/database
  • EXIF/IPTC metadata reading (camera data, dates, keywords where available)
  • Map view for GPS-tagged photos
  • Full-text style search/filtering across metadata
  • On-the-fly thumbnail generation and image resizing for fast browsing
  • Video support (with metadata and preview handling depending on setup)
  • Multi-user support with authentication and permission concepts
  • Sharing options (public links/albums depending on configuration)

Use Cases

  • Host a private family photo website from an existing NAS folder tree
  • Browse and search a large archive (events/trips) using metadata and map view
  • Lightweight gallery for photographers who want folder-based organization

Limitations and Considerations

  • Features depend heavily on extracted metadata; inconsistent EXIF/IPTC can reduce search/map usefulness
  • Not intended as a full “DAM” with heavy editing workflows; it focuses on browsing and viewing

PiGallery2 is a good fit when you want a fast, web-based viewer on top of a directory tree, with metadata-driven search and a clean UI. It works especially well for large collections where automatic thumbnails and responsive browsing matter more than complex asset-management workflows.

2.1kstars
247forks
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#6
Damselfly

Damselfly

Self-hosted photo management app for browsing, tagging, and searching large photo libraries, with face recognition, metadata support, and a responsive web UI.

Damselfly screenshot

Damselfly is a self-hosted photo management application focused on fast browsing and search across large local photo libraries. It indexes folders of images, extracts metadata, and provides a responsive web interface to organize and find photos quickly, including people-based discovery using face recognition.

Key Features

  • Library indexing from filesystem folders with background scanning
  • Responsive web UI optimized for fast browsing of large collections
  • Face recognition for grouping and searching people (face tagging/workflows)
  • Metadata support (EXIF/IPTC) and keyword/tag-based organization
  • Powerful search and filtering (by tags, people, and common photo attributes)
  • Thumbnail generation and caching for performance
  • Container-friendly deployment (commonly run via Docker)

Use Cases

  • Replace cloud photo services for private browsing and search of a home photo archive
  • Curate and find photos for creative work using tags/metadata and fast filtering
  • Identify and organize photos of family members using face recognition

Limitations and Considerations

  • Face recognition requires additional compute and works best with well-lit, clear faces; initial indexing can be time-consuming on large libraries

Damselfly is a good fit for users who want a lightweight, performance-oriented photo library browser with strong local search, metadata handling, and face-based organization. It is commonly used as a private alternative to cloud photo galleries while keeping files in normal folders on disk.

1.7kstars
89forks
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#7
Picsur

Picsur

Self-hosted image hosting and sharing with direct links, albums, and an admin dashboard—designed for quick uploads and lightweight operation.

Picsur screenshot

Picsur is a self-hosted image hosting and sharing web app focused on fast uploads, clean direct links, and simple administration. It’s suited for individuals or small teams who want an Imgur-like experience under their own control, with a modern web UI and an API-oriented design.

Key Features

  • Web-based uploads with shareable links for images
  • Albums/collections to group images (where enabled/configured)
  • Admin dashboard for instance management (users/settings/moderation)
  • Configurable storage backend (local filesystem and common external/object storage options depending on deployment)
  • Image processing for common formats and thumbnails/previews
  • Authentication options suitable for private or semi-public instances

Use Cases

  • Host and share screenshots for homelabs/IT teams via stable direct links
  • Private image dropbox for a household or small group
  • Lightweight alternative to public image hosts for embedding images in docs/issues

Limitations and Considerations

  • Feature set is intentionally simpler than full photo-management suites (e.g., advanced tagging/search/face recognition)
  • Some capabilities depend on deployment configuration (storage/reverse proxy/auth)

Picsur is a practical choice when you need straightforward image hosting with a modern interface and minimal overhead. It balances usability and control while staying focused on the core workflow of uploading, organizing, and sharing images.

1.2kstars
65forks
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#8
Chevereto

Chevereto

Chevereto is a self-hosted image hosting platform providing an Imgur-like experience with albums, user management, theming, and storage/CDN integrations.

Chevereto screenshot

Chevereto is a PHP-based image hosting and sharing application designed to run on your own server, providing an Imgur-like workflow for uploading, organizing, and delivering images. It targets individuals and organizations that need a controllable image host with multi-user features and flexible storage options.

Key Features

  • Web-based image upload and management with shareable links and embeds
  • Albums and image organization for collections and galleries
  • Multi-user support with permissions/roles for managing content
  • Customizable appearance (themes/branding) and configurable pages
  • Configurable storage backends (local storage and external/object storage via integrations, depending on edition/config)
  • Moderation and administrative tools for managing users and content

Use Cases

  • Hosting images for forums, documentation, and blogs with direct links/embeds
  • Internal team image library for marketing/support assets
  • Community image sharing site with user accounts and albums

Limitations and Considerations

  • Chevereto’s feature set and long-term maintenance model varies by edition; verify licensing/edition and included integrations before deploying.

Chevereto is a mature, widely recognized image-hosting app for people who want a dedicated image host with an Imgur-style UX. It is best suited when you need control over uploads, organization, and delivery while keeping the service under your own infrastructure policies.

862stars
68forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running