PiGallery2 Hosting

How PiGallery2 works

PiGallery2 follows the photo folder hierarchy instead of importing every item into a separate library structure. It scans configured directories, reads supported metadata, prepares indexes and previews, and presents folders through a responsive gallery. Search, maps, and metadata views help visitors locate photographs by the information already stored with the files.

The upstream project describes the source photo directory as read-only, which helps preserve the original organisation. The catalogue provides separate persistent locations for configuration, the local database, images, and temporary work. Users add photographs through the platform file interface, then allow PiGallery2 to index them before relying on search, maps, or gallery navigation.

Key PiGallery2 features

Directory-first browsing is useful when folders already represent events, years, clients, or subjects. PiGallery2 can present those folders without forcing a new album taxonomy. Metadata-driven functions depend on the information embedded in each file, so incomplete dates, coordinates, or tags produce incomplete search and map results rather than being repaired automatically.

The catalogue creates the fixed initial admin / admin login and instructs the user to change it immediately. The relational-database requirement is recorded as Not required because the stack uses a local application database rather than PostgreSQL or MariaDB. Face tags may be displayed when embedded by another tool, but upstream guidance does not establish automatic face recognition as part of the standard gallery.

PiGallery2 vs Google Photos

PiGallery2 serves a directory tree from the chosen installation and keeps the operator responsible for files, metadata, users, and storage. Google Photos is a provider-managed account service with mobile backup, Google-hosted search and editing, sharing features, and storage pooled with other Google services through Google One.

Google Photos may suit people who want automatic phone backup, maintained consumer applications, and a cloud account that follows them across devices. PiGallery2 is a better fit when the existing folder structure should remain authoritative and the operator prefers a read-only gallery over a provider-managed photo library.

Who uses PiGallery2

Families publish an organised private archive, photographers share proofing or event folders, and clubs make historic images browsable by date or location. Small collections benefit from the direct folder model because new galleries can appear by adding a directory rather than rebuilding a complex catalogue.

PiGallery2 is not an off-site camera backup service, photo editor, metadata repair tool, or source of automatic recognition data. Public access, image rights, sensitive location metadata, and account permissions require deliberate review before a gallery is shared beyond a trusted group.

Self-hosting PiGallery2: requirements and cost

Photo and preview storage dominate capacity, while indexing, metadata extraction, maps, search, thumbnail generation, and concurrent visitors add processing demand. The catalogue records PostgreSQL and MariaDB as Not required and persists configuration, local database, images, and temporary data separately. Collection growth and thumbnail work can exceed an entry plan before ordinary page rendering does. PiGallery2 is marked storage-driven in the plan mapping, so 50 GB on Plan 3 is a realistic starting point and 100 GB on Plan 4 provides more room for a large working set.

On AvaHost, PiGallery2 uses Plan 1 at €2. The hosted PiGallery2 package includes one-click deployment, a custom domain with automated HTTPS, automatic application updates, and scheduled backups. Change the initial admin password immediately. The package does not provide camera backup, photo editing, metadata correction, automatic face recognition, or image licences. Review public visibility and embedded location data before sharing galleries, and retain original files outside the hosted service according to your own archive policy.