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Choose the right privacy model first
“Private sharing” describes two different access models. The distinction determines who can open the photos and how easily you can control access later.
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Named accounts for a known group
Create accounts for family members, colleagues, or other people you know, then share an album with those accounts. The gallery can identify each recipient and apply permissions such as viewer or editor. This is usually the better choice for recurring access, sensitive material, or a group that needs different rights.
- Grant access to a specific album rather than the entire library.
- Use viewer or read-only permissions for people who only need to look at or download images.
- Grant editor, upload, or contribution rights only to people who genuinely need them.
- Remove an account’s album access when the project or event is over.
Secret links for people without accounts
A public or secret link lets anyone who possesses the URL open the shared selection. Recipients do not need accounts, but the gallery cannot reliably distinguish one link holder from another. A random URL makes guessing harder; it does not prevent forwarding, browser history exposure, screenshots, or copying the files.
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Use a link when convenience matters more than individual identity, such as sending a small wedding selection to relatives who will not create accounts. Limit the link to the selected album or photos, set the shortest practical expiry, add a password where available, and send the password through a separate channel when practical.
A safe sharing workflow
The following sequence works across most self-hosted galleries. Names and locations of controls vary by product and version, so confirm the current documentation for your installation before relying on a particular button or menu.
- Define the recipients. Decide whether everyone can use one link or whether each person should have a named account. Choose accounts for a known, continuing group; choose a link for occasional access without sign-in.
- Make a small sharing set. Create a new album or select only the photos intended for this audience. Do not share a root library, a broad folder, or an album that also contains unreviewed images.
- Check private and archived content. Confirm how your gallery treats images marked private, hidden, or archived. Some products exclude private images from shared views; others may have edition- or configuration-dependent behavior.
- Set the least powerful permission. Start with view-only access. Allow downloads only if recipients need original files. Leave upload, editing, metadata changes, and other actions off unless they are part of the purpose of the share.
- Configure link protections. Set an expiry date as close as practical to the end of the sharing need. Add a password if the service provides one. A password does not stop a recipient from copying the photos or sharing the password.
- Secure the connection. Use HTTPS for any gallery reachable outside your home network. Configure the public site URL and reverse proxy correctly, and avoid exposing an application port directly when the product’s deployment guidance says to keep it private.
- Test as a recipient. Open the link in a private browser window or use a test account. Verify that the intended photos load, private material is absent, downloads behave as expected, and upload or edit controls are unavailable.
- Send access details carefully. Send the URL only to the intended people. When using a password, send it separately from the URL where practical. Explain the expiry date and whether downloading is allowed.
- Review and revoke. After the event or project, delete the public link, remove album permissions, or disable the temporary account. Do not rely solely on an expiry date if the material is especially sensitive.
How the main self-hosted options handle private sharing
The controls below are the documented distinctions that matter when selecting a sharing method. Exact availability can change with releases, editions, administrator settings, and deployment choices.
| Gallery | Recipient identity | Link controls | Permission scope | Private-content behavior | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich | Local users, partner accounts, or anyone with a public link | Random URL, expiry, password protection, and configurable actions are documented | Album viewer or editor; partner sharing can allow viewing and downloading; public-link actions can be customized | Select photos or an album can be shared; choose the selection deliberately | Public access can expose the web interface and API when remotely published; the project is under active development |
| PhotoPrism | Users with roles or visitors using a secret album link | Secret links with expiry are documented; optional password protection is described as planned in the reviewed guide | Visitors can view and download non-private images but cannot alter images or metadata | Images marked private are omitted from shared albums | Viewer behavior can depend on edition; verify the current release and role model |
| Nextcloud | Named users or anyone with a public file/folder link | Password protection and expiry are documented, along with link deletion; administrator configuration can affect availability | Read-only, upload, editing, file drop, and hide-download options are documented | Behavior depends on the shared file or folder and current server configuration | The cited sharing material is for the Server 20 manual; current labels and options may differ |
Immich: accounts, partner sharing, and public links
Use local album permissions for an established group
Immich can share a local album with users on the same instance. The documented permission choices include viewer and editor access. Give viewers only the ability to see (and, where configured, download) the album. Use editor access only when recipients must add or change content.
Partner sharing is a separate route for selected users who need to view and download a library. Because it is broader than a single event album, inspect the scope carefully before enabling it; an album share is usually the safer boundary for a one-time delivery.
Create a public link for recipients without accounts
Immich public links can share selected photos or an album. The documentation describes expiry dates, password protection, and controls over permitted actions. Configure those controls before copying the URL.
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Immich explains the design this way: “The public link is generated with a random URL, which acts as as a secret to avoid the link being guessed by unwanted parties, for instance.” Treat the random URL as a secret, not as proof of identity. Anyone who obtains it can potentially use it until it expires or is deleted.
Account for remote-access exposure
Immich’s remote-access guidance describes reverse-proxy approaches and warns that a public configuration can expose its web interface and API. If recipients do not need Internet access, keep the service on a private network or provide access through a VPN instead. If a public link is necessary, publish only the intended HTTPS endpoint and review the proxy rules, authentication, and link actions before sending it.
Immich is under active development. Recheck the live documentation for your installed version, especially after upgrades, and do not treat the gallery as a backup by itself.
PhotoPrism: secret album links and private images
Share a secret album with an expiry
PhotoPrism documents secret album links that can have expiry dates. Shared albums omit images marked private. Visitors can view and download non-private images, but they cannot modify the images or their metadata through the shared view.
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The reviewed guide describes optional password protection as planned rather than an established current feature. Do not promise a password prompt to recipients unless your installed edition and version visibly provide it. If no password option is available, compensate with a narrow selection, a short expiry, careful URL handling, and HTTPS.
Use roles when recipients need accounts
PhotoPrism documentation describes a read-only Viewer role that cannot see private or archived content, subject to edition. A named account is preferable when you need to remove one person’s access without invalidating everyone else’s link or when the same people will return repeatedly.
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Put the installation behind HTTPS
PhotoPrism’s deployment guidance recommends HTTPS because unencrypted connections can transmit files and passwords in clear text. Set the external site URL to the HTTPS address that recipients actually use. In a reverse-proxy deployment, expose ports 80 and 443 at the proxy and keep the application port private, rather than publishing that internal port directly to the Internet.
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Choose a link type that matches the task
Nextcloud public links can be created for files or folders. The documented options include read-only access, password protection, expiration, uploads and editing, file drop, and hide-download controls.
- Read-only: recipients can view or download according to the share settings but cannot add or change files.
- Upload or editing: useful for collecting contributions, but it gives recipients a way to place or alter content in the shared location.
- File drop: appropriate when people should upload files without browsing the existing contents.
- Hide download: can remove an ordinary download path where supported, but it cannot prevent screenshots, screen recording, browser caching, or other capture methods.
Availability depends on administrator configuration and the server version. The cited documentation is from the Server 20 manual, so check the current manual and your administrator’s enabled sharing policies before giving click-by-click directions.
Protect a public link
Set a password and expiration when those controls are available. Keep the share read-only unless contributions are required. After the deadline, delete or revoke the link rather than leaving an old folder publicly reachable.
HTTPS and reverse-proxy requirements
A private link does not repair an incorrectly exposed service. If the gallery is reachable over the Internet, secure the transport and reduce the exposed surface.
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- Use a valid HTTPS certificate. Recipients should see the expected secure origin, not a certificate warning.
- Set the application’s external URL. The URL configured inside the gallery must match the HTTPS address used by recipients so generated links and redirects do not point to an internal hostname or an unencrypted address.
- Keep internal application ports private. When a reverse proxy is recommended, let it terminate HTTPS and forward traffic internally. Do not publish the backend port directly unless the product’s security guidance explicitly requires it.
- Inspect what the proxy exposes. A public route may expose more than the album page, including an administration interface or API. Restrict routes and authentication according to the gallery’s remote-access documentation.
- Prefer a VPN or private network when possible. If every recipient can use a private network or VPN, the gallery may not need a public Internet endpoint at all.
Permissions: view, download, upload, and edit
These actions have different consequences. Decide them separately instead of treating “sharing” as one permission.
| Action | Grant it when | Risk or trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| View | Recipients only need to browse the selection | Images can still be captured or photographed from the screen |
| Download | Recipients need copies for printing, backup, or offline use | Once downloaded, the files are outside your server’s control |
| Upload | You are collecting photos or documents from the group | Recipients can add files that consume storage or require moderation |
| Edit metadata or album contents | Collaborators must organize or correct the shared collection | Changes can affect everyone’s view and may be difficult to audit |
For a family preview, the default should generally be view-only, with downloads enabled only if the recipients need the originals. For a collaborative event folder, use an upload or editor setting only for the people responsible for curation.
Common failure modes and fixes
The recipient sees a login page or an internal hostname
The link may be an account-only URL, or the gallery may be generating links from an internal site address. Confirm that you created the correct public or secret share and set the external HTTPS URL to the address recipients can resolve. Test from a network that cannot reach your home LAN.
The link works at home but not from the Internet
Check DNS, router forwarding, firewall rules, certificate renewal, and reverse-proxy routing. Keep the backend application port private where the product recommends it. If remote publishing is not essential, use a VPN or private network instead.
Private photos appear in the share
Stop distributing the link, revoke it, and inspect the album contents. Confirm the product’s rules for private, archived, or hidden images and verify that the images were marked with the status your edition recognizes. Recreate the share from a clean, explicitly selected album and test it in a private browser window.
Recipients can upload or edit unexpectedly
Open the share settings and disable upload, editing, or other permitted actions. In systems with administrator-level sharing policies, ask the administrator whether a global setting is overriding the per-link choice.
A password option is missing
Some products or editions do not provide password protection for every share type. Do not claim that a password exists based on another product’s behavior. Use a smaller selection, a shorter expiry, named accounts, or a private-network route instead. Sending a password separately is useful where supported, but it is not a guarantee against forwarding.
The link has expired too soon or remains active too long
Inspect the configured time zone, expiry date, and server clock. For sensitive material, delete the share immediately after the recipient confirms access rather than waiting for automatic expiry.
Quick Recap
Operational habits that keep sharing private
- Maintain a separate “outgoing” album so you can audit exactly what was shared.
- Remove location metadata or other embedded information when your workflow requires it; sharing permissions do not automatically sanitize downloaded originals.
- Keep the gallery, operating system, reverse proxy, and certificate automation updated.
- Back up the originals and the gallery database separately. A self-hosted gallery is a viewing and sharing system, not automatically a backup.
- Record who received a long-lived link and its expiry date, without storing passwords in the same place as the URL.
- Review active links and temporary accounts on a schedule, especially after family events, client deliveries, or volunteer projects.
Decision guide
Use a named account when
- The recipients are known and can sign in.
- Access must be removed for one person without changing everyone else’s access.
- The same group will return repeatedly.
- The photos are sensitive enough that an unidentifiable link is undesirable.
Use a protected, expiring link when
- Recipients should not have to create accounts.
- The shared set is small and easy to review.
- You can use HTTPS and the gallery offers expiry and, ideally, password protection.
- You accept that anyone who obtains the URL may use it until it is revoked or expires.
Use a private network or VPN when
- Recipients can connect through a trusted private network.
- The gallery does not need to be discoverable from the public Internet.
- You want to avoid exposing the application’s web interface and API publicly.
Final pre-send checklist
- Only the intended photos are in the shared album.
- Private or archived material is excluded according to your product’s rules.
- Recipients have the least powerful permission that meets the goal.
- Expiry is set, and a password is enabled where available.
- The URL uses HTTPS and works in a private browser window from outside your home network.
- No internal hostname, backend port, administration route, upload control, or edit control is exposed unintentionally.
- You know how to delete the link or remove the account when sharing ends.
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