Immich: The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Personal Photo Server with AI Features

D: 📸 Tired of relying on cloud storage for your precious memories? Want full control over your photos with powerful AI features like facial recognition and automatic tagging? Immich is the perfect self-hosted photo server for you! In this guide, we’ll walk you through installation, configuration, and unlocking its AI capabilities step by step. Let’s dive in! 🚀

🔧 Step 1: Installing Immich

Immich is a self-hosted, open-source alternative to Google Photos. Here’s how to install it:

Option 1: Docker (Recommended for Easy Setup)

1. Install Docker & Docker Compose

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

2. Clone Immich’s Repository

   git clone https://github.com/immich-app/immich.git
   cd immich

3. Run the Setup Script

   ./setup.sh

   Follow the prompts to configure PostgreSQL, Redis, and the web interface.

Option 2: Manual Installation (Advanced Users)

If you prefer manual setup, check the official Immich docs for detailed instructions.

✅ Pro Tip: Use a reverse proxy (Nginx or Traefik) for secure remote access!

⚙️ Step 2: Configuring Immich

After installation, access the web interface at http://your-server-ip:2283.

Key Settings to Adjust:

• Storage Location – Set where photos will be stored (default: /usr/src/app/upload).
• User Management – Create accounts for family members.
• Backup Options – Enable automatic backups to an external drive or cloud storage.

🔹 Example: To change the upload directory, modify docker-compose.yml:

services:
  immich-server:
    volumes:
      - /path/to/your/photos:/usr/src/app/upload

🤖 Step 3: Enabling AI Features

Immich’s AI-powered tools make organizing photos effortless!

1. Facial Recognition 👤

• Automatically detects and groups faces.
• Train the model by tagging people in a few photos.

2. Object & Scene Detection 🏞️

• Recognizes objects (e.g., “dog,” “beach”) for smart search.
• Enable in Settings > Machine Learning.

3. Automatic Tagging 🏷️

• Uses AI to add descriptive tags (e.g., “birthday,” “sunset”).

🔹 How to Train AI Models:

docker exec -it immich-machine-learning bash
python train_faces.py

🔄 Step 4: Syncing & Accessing Photos

• Mobile App (iOS/Android) – Auto-upload photos from your phone.
• CLI Uploader – Bulk upload from your computer:

  immich-cli upload --directory /path/to/photos

• Web Interface – Browse, search, and share photos easily.

📌 Pro Tip: Use Immich’s API to automate backups from other services!

🛡️ Step 5: Security & Backups

• Enable HTTPS (via Let’s Encrypt) for secure access.
• Regular Backups – Use rsync or BorgBackup for photos + database.
• Firewall Rules – Restrict access to trusted IPs.

Example backup script:

#!/bin/bash
rsync -avz /path/to/immich/uploads backup-server:/immich-backup
docker exec immich-postgres pg_dump -U postgres immich > /backup/immich-db.sql

🎓 Bonus: Advanced Tips

• Integrate with Home Assistant – Display photos on smart displays.
• Use Immich as a NAS Photo Hub – Sync with Nextcloud or Synology.
• GPU Acceleration – Speed up AI processing with an NVIDIA GPU.

🔥 Conclusion

Immich gives you full control over your photos with privacy-first storage and powerful AI tools. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or just want a Google Photos alternative, this guide helps you set it up smoothly!

🚀 Ready to take back ownership of your memories? Start hosting Immich today!

🔗 Official Website: https://immich.app
🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/immich-app/immich

💬 Questions? Drop them in the comments below! 👇