Immich Quick Setup Guide

July 5, 2024

Immich Self-Hosting Tutorial: Your Comprehensive Guide

Immich is a robust self-hosted photo and video backup solution designed to provide users with a secure and private way to manage their media. This tutorial will walk you through the process of setting up Immich on your own server, ensuring your photos and videos are safely stored and easily accessible.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

A server or a virtual private server (VPS) running a compatible Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04 or later is recommended).
Basic knowledge of command-line operations.
A domain name (optional but recommended for easier access).

Step 1: Prepare Your Server

Update and Upgrade Your System:
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```

Install Docker and Docker Compose: Docker is essential for running Immich. Install it using the following commands:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce -y
sudo systemctl status docker

Then, install Docker Compose:

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/docker/compose/releases/latest | grep -Po '(?<="tag_name": ")[^"]*')" /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
docker-compose --version

Step 2: Set Up Immich

Create a Directory for Immich: Choose a location for your Immich setup:
```
mkdir ~/immich
cd ~/immich
```

Download the Docker Compose File: Create a docker-compose.yml file in the Immich directory:

nano docker-compose.yml

Copy and paste the following content into the file:

version: '3.7'
services:
  immich-server:
    image: alexkimxyz/immich-server:latest
    container_name: immich-server
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: "postgres://immich:immich@immich-db:5432/immich"
      NODE_ENV: "production"
    ports:
      - "2283:2283"
    depends_on:
      - immich-db

  immich-db:
    image: postgres:13-alpine
    container_name: immich-db
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: immich
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: immich
      POSTGRES_DB: immich
    volumes:
      - immich-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  immich-frontend:
    image: alexkimxyz/immich-frontend:latest
    container_name: immich-frontend
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    depends_on:
      - immich-server

volumes:
  immich-db-data:

Start Immich: Run Docker Compose to start the Immich services:
```
sudo docker-compose up -d
```

Step 3: Access Immich

Access Immich Web Interface: Open a web browser and navigate to your server’s IP address or domain name. For example:
```
http://your-server-ip
```
If you have a domain name, ensure it points to your server’s IP address and access Immich via:
```
http://your-domain-name
```
Set Up an Admin Account: On your first visit, you’ll be prompted to create an admin account. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account.

Step 4: Configure Immich

Set Up Backups: Use the Immich web interface to configure backup settings. You can define backup folders, schedules, and preferences.
Secure Your Setup: For better security, consider setting up HTTPS using a reverse proxy like Nginx with Let’s Encrypt. This ensures encrypted communication with your Immich server.

Step 5: Manage and Maintain

Regular Updates: Keep your Immich installation and server up to date. To update Immich, pull the latest Docker images and restart the services:
```
cd ~/immich
sudo docker-compose pull
sudo docker-compose up -d
```
Backups: Regularly back up your Immich data and PostgreSQL database. Use tools like pg_dump for PostgreSQL backups and consider automated scripts for regular data backups.

Conclusion

Self-hosting Immich gives you full control over your photo and video backups, ensuring privacy and security. With this guide, you can set up, configure, and maintain your own Immich server. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your memories are securely stored and easily accessible at your fingertips. Happy hosting!