HomeGallery

What HomeGallery is

HomeGallery is a free, open-source web gallery for serving private photos and videos from home. It works with the files and folder structure you already have, adding a mobile-friendly way to browse images and videos. Its web app includes photo-stream browsing, search, tag editing, and PWA support for mobile use. Search can match text without regard to case, combine terms with boolean operators, and filter or sort results using media metadata and tags. For image discovery, HomeGallery can find similar pictures without manual tagging, apply tags to one or several images, and find people by similar faces. Photos with GPS data can be linked to locations and browsed on a map.

HomeGallery runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as through web, API, and self-hosted setups. It can be installed with Docker Compose, Docker containers, prebuilt binaries, application bundles, generic bundles, or from source. By default, low-resolution previews go to its public API for image similarity, object detection, and face recognition; that API says it retains neither images nor privacy data. The lookup and detection server can also run locally or in Docker. HomeGallery is a spare-time project that requires terminal or CLI interaction. Authentication is optional and limited to browser-based Basic Auth, which its documentation describes as insecure without HTTPS.

Who it suits

HomeGallery suits people who want to browse private home photo and video collections while keeping their existing files and folders in place. It is a fit for users comfortable with terminal-based setup and self-hosting, especially on Linux or Debian, the platform described as most tested.

Limits

The HomeGallery plan is free and is open source and self-hosted. It does not include mobile photo synchronization or photo backups.

Getting started

1. Choose an installation route: Docker Compose, Docker container, prebuilt binary, application bundle, generic bundle, or source.
2. For prebuilt desktop binaries, select Linux x64, Mac x64, or Windows x64.
3. Run HomeGallery on a supported system or self-hosted setup.
4. Open the web app to browse the photo stream, search, and edit tags.
5. If desired, run the image lookup and detection API server locally or in Docker.

Verdict

Choose HomeGallery if you want a free, self-hosted gallery that browses your existing media and provides search, tagging, and image discovery. Look elsewhere if you need photo synchronization or backups, or prefer a setup that does not require terminal work.