Damselfly

Self-Hosted

Fast, open-source self-hosted photo gallery with AI-powered media management

Overview

Damselfly is a high-performance self-hosted photo gallery built for organizing personal media libraries. It features AI face/object recognition, EXIF metadata handling, album creation, advanced search (by date, location, tags), and support for local/network storage (SMB/NFS). Deploy via Docker for quick setup—lightweight enough for home servers. Prioritizes privacy by keeping photos on your hardware, with a responsive web interface accessible from any device.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  damselfly:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: damselfly
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

AI-powered face & object recognition
Advanced EXIF metadata management
Fast search & filtering (date, location, tags)
Support for local/network storage (SMB/NFS)

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Damselfly hard to install?

Damselfly is easy to install using Docker—just pull the official image and run it with minimal configuration. For non-Docker setups, you’ll need .NET Core and basic server knowledge to handle dependencies.

? Is Damselfly a good alternative to Google Photos?

Yes! It offers similar AI features (face recognition) and organization tools but keeps your photos private on your server. It lacks Google’s cross-device cloud sync (unless you set up your own) but is ideal for users prioritizing data control.

? Is Damselfly completely free?

Absolutely—Damselfly is open-source under the MIT License, so it’s free to use, modify, and self-host without any subscription fees or paid tiers.

Top Alternatives

Google Photos Compare

Apple Photos Search Google

Adobe Lightroom CC Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Open Source

Category Photo Galleries

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Privacy-focused (self-hosted data control)
⊕ Lightweight & fast performance
⊕ Easy Docker deployment
⊕ No cloud dependency for AI features

Cons

⊖ Limited native mobile app (relies on responsive web UI)
⊖ Fewer third-party integrations than commercial tools
⊖ Basic server knowledge needed for non-Docker setups