Replace Google Photos with Immich

Who This Is For

Intermediate.

Think of it like a family photo album kept in your own attic instead of a stranger’s storage unit. You decide who ever gets a copy of the key.

What You’ll Build

A phone backs up selected photos to Immich, with the original library and database included in your backups.

Prerequisites

• Docker host
• Adequate storage for full-resolution originals
• A mobile device

What Immich Doesn’t Eliminate

• The need for real backups of its own data
• The need for enough storage
• The need for ongoing maintenance and upgrades

Plan Hardware

• SSD for the database and thumbnails
• A large HDD or NAS share for originals
• GPU/iGPU acceleration if you want faster ML features (face/object recognition)

Deploy with Docker Compose

Immich publishes an official docker-compose.yml and .env template, use those as the starting point rather than assembling one from scratch.

Onboard the Mobile App

1. Install the Immich app
2. Point it at your server URL
3. Log in and enable camera backup
4. Choose which albums to include

Import an Existing Library

Immich has a bulk-import path for existing photo collections, check current docs for the exact CLI/tool, as this changes between versions.

Family Accounts and Sharing

Create separate accounts per family member rather than sharing one login, and use Immich’s shared album feature for cross-account sharing.

Security & Backup Notes

• Back up originals, the database, and configuration, thumbnails are lower priority but still convenient to keep
• Immich’s own documentation is explicit: the operator (you) must perform the actual backup of Immich’s data with a separate tool, the app itself is not a backup system

Troubleshooting

• Permission errors, check the mounted storage paths match the UID/GID Immich expects
• Storage fills unexpectedly, full-resolution photo/video libraries grow fast; monitor free space proactively
• Mobile uploads stop in background, mobile OS battery optimization often throttles background upload apps; check the app’s background permission settings
• ML workload spikes, face/object recognition is CPU/GPU intensive on first import of a large library; expect a slow first pass
• Upgrade breaks due to skipped release notes, Immich moves fast; always read release notes before pulling a new image

Lab Finish Line

A phone backs up selected photos to Immich, with the original library and database included in backups.

What to Build Next

• Restic Docker Backups
• Jellyfin