Why Immich?
Google Photos is convenient but your memories live on Google’s servers. Immich brings the same experience home:
- Automatic phone backup — iOS and Android apps with background sync.
- AI face recognition — Automatically groups photos by person.
- Natural language search — Find “sunset over mountains” using CLIP.
- Map view — See photos on a world map by GPS location.
- Shared albums — Share with family with comments and likes.
- No storage limits — Your disk, your rules.
Prerequisites
- Docker with docker-compose.
- 4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB for AI features).
- Sufficient storage for your photo library.
Step 1: Deploy with Docker Compose
mkdir immich && cd immich
curl -o docker-compose.yml \
https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml
curl -o .env \
https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.envEdit .env:
UPLOAD_LOCATION=/mnt/photos/immich
DB_PASSWORD=your-secure-passworddocker compose up -dAccess at http://your-server:2283.
Step 2: Mobile App Setup
- Install Immich from Google Play or App Store.
- Enter your server URL:
http://your-server:2283 - Log in with your admin account.
- Enable Automatic Backup in settings.
- Select which albums to back up.
Step 3: Bulk Import Existing Photos
# Install the Immich CLI
npm i -g @immich/cli
# Import a directory
immich upload --recursive /path/to/existing/photosAI Features Overview
| Feature | What it does | Resource impact |
|---|---|---|
| Face Recognition | Groups photos by person | ~1 GB RAM |
| CLIP Search | Natural language photo search | ~1.5 GB RAM |
| Object Detection | Tags objects in photos (car, dog, food) | Included in CLIP |
| Map View | Shows photos by GPS location | Minimal |
| Memories | ”On this day” flashbacks | Minimal |
Immich vs Google Photos
| Feature | Immich | Google Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Unlimited (your disk) | 15 GB free, then $2+/mo |
| Privacy | Self-hosted, your data | Google’s servers |
| Face recognition | Yes (on-device ML) | Yes (Google Cloud) |
| Natural language search | Yes (CLIP) | Yes (Google AI) |
| Shared albums | Yes | Yes |
| Offline access | Via app cache | Via app cache |
| Cost | Free (+ your hardware) | Free tier + paid plans |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Mobile app can’t connect | Verify server URL and port 2283 is accessible; check firewall |
| Face recognition not working | Ensure the ML container is running: docker compose logs immich-machine-learning |
| Photos not appearing after upload | Wait for processing; check the Jobs queue in admin panel |
| High RAM usage | Disable ML features if running on <4 GB RAM; reduce worker count |
| Duplicate photos detected | Immich detects duplicates by hash; use the Duplicates view to review |
Summary
- Google Photos experience without giving Google your photos.
- AI-powered face recognition and natural language search.
- Auto-backup from iOS and Android with background sync.
- Bulk import existing libraries with the CLI tool.