Lychee

Self-Hosted

Open-source self-hosted photo gallery for organizing and sharing your images

Overview

Lychee is a lightweight, open-source self-hosted photo gallery that lets you organize, tag, and share your image collection securely. It supports EXIF data display, face recognition, duplicate detection, and password-protected sharing links. Deploy easily via Docker, LAMP/LEMP stacks, or cloud platforms, with options for external storage like S3. Ideal for users who want full control over their photos without relying on third-party services, Lychee balances simplicity with powerful features to manage personal or family photo libraries efficiently.

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:
  lychee:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: lychee
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Album organization with tagging and EXIF support
Face recognition and duplicate detection
Secure sharing (password-protected links, public/private access)
Docker and traditional deployment options

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Lychee hard to install?

Lychee is relatively easy to install using Docker (via a single command or docker-compose file) which simplifies setup. For traditional deployments, it needs a web server (Apache/Nginx), PHP, and MySQL/MariaDB—detailed guides are available in the documentation for both methods.

? Is it a good alternative to Google Photos?

Yes—Lychee gives full control over your photos (no data mining) and core features like album organization and sharing. However, it lacks Google’s AI editing tools or automatic mobile backups (though third-party apps like Lychee Mobile offer sync options).

? Is it completely free?

Yes—Lychee is open-source under the MIT License, so it’s completely free to use, modify, and self-host with no hidden fees or premium tiers.

Top Alternatives

Google Photos Compare

iCloud Photos Search Google

Flickr Compare

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Photo Galleries

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Full control over your photos (privacy-focused)
⊕ Completely free and open-source
⊕ Lightweight and fast performance
⊕ Supports external storage (S3, local drives)

Cons

⊖ Requires basic server setup knowledge
⊖ Lacks advanced editing tools compared to SaaS alternatives
⊖ Mobile sync requires third-party apps (no official native sync)