How to Build Your Own Google Photos Alternative on Linux Using Immich
Introduction Why Build Your Own Google Photos Alternative?
If you’re tired of Google Photos compressing your pictures, scanning your albums, or charging monthly fees for storage, you’re definitely not alone. Many people nowadays want more control over their privacy, their files, and their long-term digital storage. And that’s where self-hosting comes in.
Thanks to modern open-source tools, it’s now extremely easy to create your own Google Photos alternative—a personal, private cloud photo system that uploads, organizes, and backs up all your images automatically. The best part? You can build it on any Linux server using a powerful tool called Immich.
Immich has become one of the most popular self-hosted photo platforms in the world. It’s fast, beautiful, mobile-friendly, and feature-rich. And honestly, once you try it, it feels even better than Google Photos.
This guide will walk you step-by-step through how to build your own photo cloud using Linux + Immich, in a simple and relaxed style—no complicated setups, no heavy technical knowledge required.
What Is Immich and Why Is Everyone Talking About It?
Before we start building anything, let’s quickly understand what Immich actually is.
Immich is an open-source, self-hosted photo and video management system. Think of it as:
- Google Photos
- iCloud Photos
- Amazon Photos
- Samsung Gallery syncing
…but running privately on your own server, under your full control.
Here’s what makes Immich stand out:
- Automatic photo backups from your phone
- Fast facial recognition (using machine learning)
- Albums, favorites, stories, map view, and search
- Supports RAW photos and large video files
- Multi-user support (for friends/family)
- No compression unless you want it
- Full local control, no cloud dependency
- Works with Docker and supports hardware acceleration
It’s honestly one of the most polished self-hosted apps available today.
So if your goal is to create your own Google Photos alternative, Immich is the perfect project to start with.
What You Need Before You Start
Building your own photo cloud doesn’t require anything fancy. You only need:
1. A Linux server
Any of these will work:
- Ubuntu Server 22.04 or 24.04
- Debian
- Fedora Server
- Arch/EndeavourOS
- OpenSUSE
A simple mini PC, old laptop, or homelab server is more than enough.
2. Docker + Docker Compose
Immich installs using Docker Compose, making the setup super easy.
3. Storage for your photos
This can be:
- Internal HDD or SSD
- External USB drive
- NAS or network storage
- ZFS or BTRFS pool
4. A smartphone (Android/iOS)
For automatic photo backups.
Why Linux Is the Best Platform for Self-Hosted Cloud Storage
Linux is the backbone of almost every self-hosted service, and Immich is no exception. Here’s why Linux is ideal when you want to create your own Google Photos alternative:
- Stable: Stays running for months or years without rebooting
- Free: No license fees
- Fast: Optimized for server workloads
- Secure: Permission-based system, strong sandboxing
- Flexible: Works with almost any hardware
- Docker-friendly: Perfect environment for containers
With Linux, you get a reliable and cost-efficient system that works beautifully with Immich.
Step-by-Step: How to Install Immich on Linux
Below is the easiest and most beginner-friendly method.
1. Update your Linux system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2. Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh
3. Install Docker Compose
sudo apt install docker-compose -y
4. Create a directory for Immich
mkdir immich
cd immich
5. Download the official Docker Compose file
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/immich-app/immich/main/docker/docker-compose.yml
6. Start Immich
docker-compose up -d
And that’s it. You’ve just deployed your own photo cloud.
7. Open Immich in your browser
Go to:
http://YOUR-SERVER-IP:2283
Set up your admin account, log in, and you’re ready to upload photos.
Setting Up Automatic Photo Backup on Your Phone
Immich has an official app available on both:
- Google Play Store (Android)
- Apple App Store (iOS)
How to enable automatic photo uploads:
- Open the Immich app
- Go to Backup
- Select your albums
- Enable automatic syncing
From now on, any photo you take will automatically sync to your private Linux server.
Organizing Your Photos Like Google Photos
Immich includes almost everything you rely on in Google Photos:
Albums
Group photos easily into albums—family trips, events, work files, etc.
Face Recognition
Immich’s facial recognition engine is fast, accurate, and entirely local.
Map View
If your photos include GPS metadata, Immich automatically sorts them by location.
Search
Search by:
- File type
- Album
- Year
- Faces
- Camera make/model
Stories (Memories)
Immich automatically creates “on this day” memories like Google Photos.
This is why Immich feels like a premium cloud platform—but without the subscriptions or privacy concerns.
Best Hardware for Running an Immich Server
If you’re building a long-term home photo cloud, here are some great hardware choices:
Budget options
- Old laptop with Ubuntu
- Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 5 (works well if using SSD storage)
- Intel NUC mini PC
Mid-range
- Lenovo Tiny
- Dell OptiPlex Micro
- HP Mini PC
Performance setups
- TrueNAS server
- Proxmox virtual machine
- Ryzen mini PC with large ZFS storage
Immich scales well, so you can start small and upgrade later.
Why Immich Is More Private Than Google Photos
Google Photos is convenient—but it comes with trade-offs:
- Google scans photos with AI
- Stores everything in the cloud
- Compresses your media unless you pay
- Metadata is analyzed for ad targeting
Immich avoids all of this.
No data leaves your server.
No scanning.
No ads.
No monthly fees.
You stay in full control.
Adding Family Members to Your Private Cloud
Immich supports multiple users, so you can host:
- Your family
- Friends
- Your spouse
- Photo-sharing between devices
You can also give each user:
- Separate storage
- Shared albums
- Private albums
- Access control
It’s perfect for families or small teams.
Backing Up Immich Safely (Very Important!)
Because you are running your own cloud, you should always back it up.
Recommended backup methods:
- rsync to another drive
- ZFS snapshots
- BTRFS snapshots
- Proxmox VM backup
- Cloud backup to Backblaze or Google Drive (ironically)
Never store your only copy of your photos on a single drive. Always follow a 3-2-1 backup rule.
Using Immich with NAS Systems
If you have a NAS (like TrueNAS, Synology, Unraid), Immich becomes even more powerful.
You can:
- Store photos on your NAS storage
- Run Immich as a Docker container
- Use NFS or SMB shares for long-term storage
This gives you a Google Photos experience with enterprise-grade reliability.
Why Immich + Linux Is Better Than Google Photos for Power Users
Let’s compare:
| Feature | Immich | Google Photos |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | Full control, local only | Data stored on Google servers |
| Cost | Free | Subscription required |
| Storage limits | Unlimited (your hardware) | Limited unless you pay |
| Photo quality | Original | Often compressed |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes |
| Customization | High | None |
If your goal is freedom + privacy + full control, Immich wins easily.
Building Your Own Google Photos Alternative Is Easier Than You Think
Creating your own private photo cloud used to be complicated. But with Linux and Immich, anyone can build a fast, powerful, Google Photos–style platform at home.
You get:
- Full privacy
- Unlimited storage
- Automatic phone backups
- Facial recognition
- Web + mobile access
- Zero monthly fees
And best of all: your memories belong to you—not a company.
If you’ve been wanting to break free from Google Photos and take ownership of your digital life, Immich is hands-down the best solution available today.
