Immich
Self-hosted photos and video - a Google Photos alternative with real mobile apps, face and semantic search.
One-click deploy, from $49/mo on a Miget plan.
#what is Immich?
Immich is the self-hosted photo and video manager that finally feels like Google Photos: first-class iOS and Android apps, automatic phone backup, face recognition, smart and semantic search, albums, shared libraries, and a timeline - all on infrastructure you own.
It is a four-service stack: the server (port 5000), a machine-learning worker for face detection and CLIP search, a Postgres built with the VectorChord vector extension (Immich’s own image - this is why it does not use Miget’s managed Postgres), and Valkey for the job queue. Photos live on a filesystem volume, not object storage, because the library layout and thumbnails need a real filesystem.
It is flagged experimental for two honest reasons: it is heavy (~6-8 GB, the ML worker alone wants ~3 GB while loading models), and Immich ships fast-moving releases where major versions sometimes need a database migration. Pin upgrades and read the release notes. For a permanent home for your photos, that care is worth it.
Upstream project: Immich
#what you get
- Native iOS and Android apps with automatic backup
- Face recognition and CLIP-powered semantic search
- Albums, shared libraries, timeline, map view
- VectorChord Postgres + ML worker (self-contained, not managed pg)
- Library on a filesystem volume - your photos, your disk
- AGPL-3.0; four private/public services
#topology
| Service | Role | Public |
|---|---|---|
| immich-server | API + web app (:5000) | yes |
| immich-machine-learning | face + semantic search models | no (private) |
| database / redis | VectorChord Postgres / Valkey | no (private) |
#miget sizing
// this stack needs
6.3 GiB RAM · 120 GB disk · 4 services
Give the stack at least 8 GB of RAM - the ML worker wants ~3 GB loading models, the server ~2 GB. The 100 GB library volume is the variable; resize it to your collection. Keep replicas at 1 (single-writer library).
Hobby - recommended fit
$49/mo
4 vCPU · 8 GiB · 160 GiB disk
Headroom for your own apps: 16 GiB at $97/mo
Professional - production
$337/mo
16 vCPU · 32 GiB · 200 GiB disk
Dedicated resources, production SLOs - plan details
One Miget plan is a fixed pool of compute - the whole stack (managed databases included) deploys inside it, and anything left over runs your other apps. No per-service or per-seat math.
#vs. the managed service
What the hosted equivalents charge, against the flat Miget plan this stack fits on. Prices as of June 2026, sources linked.
| Service | Plan | Monthly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immich on Miget ★ | 8 GiB plan | $49 | this whole stack, flat - no usage meters, and room left for your own apps |
| Google One | 2 TB | ~$10 | $9.99/mo - rented space, library mined |
| iCloud+ | 2 TB | ~$10 | $9.99/mo - rented space |
Cloud photo plans rent storage by the month; Immich is your photos on your own disk, exportable.
#vs. other PaaS
Estimated monthly cost of running this exact stack (6.3 GiB RAM, 120 GB disk, 4 containers) elsewhere, from published June 2026 rates.
| Platform | Est. monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Miget ★ | $49 flat | compose stacks first-class: one deploy, dedicated vCPU, managed Postgres/Valkey, volumes and TLS all included in the plan |
| Heroku | ~$313 | no volumes; nothing between 1 GB ($50) and 2.5 GB ($250) dynos - 2 GB containers cost far more than shown |
| Render | ~$108 | per-service instances (0.5 GB $7, 2 GB $25) - every container is its own paid service |
| Railway | ~$81 | usage-based ($10/GB RAM-mo); vCPU billed separately at $20/vCPU-mo on top |
| DO App Platform | ~$80 | no persistent volumes - stateful containers need managed DBs/Spaces (base $5 Spaces included here) |
| Fly.io | ~$55 | cheapest sticker price - but burstable shared CPUs (1/16 core; dedicated vCPUs cost ~2-3×), no compose deploys (one app per container, manual wiring), managed DBs billed extra |
Full breakdown of what Immich costs managed versus self-hosted, with production sizing: Immich pricing.
Estimates assume RAM fully allocated at published on-demand rates - and sticker price isn't the whole comparison: the cheaper rows buy burstable shared CPUs, per-service wiring instead of a compose deploy, and managed databases billed separately. Heroku and DO App Platform have no persistent volumes at all - stateful stacks like this one need workarounds there.
#deploy it
On Miget
- Create a Compose Stack in app.miget.com pointing at the templates repository
- Set the stack path to
immich -
Set the required variable:
DB_PASSWORD, shared by the server and the database (random string)
- Deploy. Miget layers
compose.miget.yaml(RAM, privacy, volumes, managed services) automatically
Locally first?
Every template is portable, vanilla Docker Compose - the Miget overrides are ignored locally:
git clone https://github.com/deployable-sh/stacks
cd miget-compose-templates/immich
docker compose up -dSame files, same behavior. The template README covers connection strings and scaling notes.
#faq
What does this save vs Google One or iCloud+?
Google One is $9.99/month for 2 TB and iCloud+ is $9.99 for 2 TB - both rent space and mine your library. Immich is one plan plus a volume sized to your photos, with your whole history entirely yours and exportable.
Why a special database instead of managed Postgres?
Immich requires Postgres with a vector extension (VectorChord) for face and semantic search, which is not a standard managed extension. So this template runs Immich’s own database image as a private sidecar with its own volume, rather than the managed Postgres other apps use.
Why is it experimental?
It is a heavy four-service stack and Immich releases move quickly - major versions can need a database migration. Everything is wired and validated, but you should pin versions and read release notes before upgrading, which is why it is not marked stable.
#more media
Ship Immich today
One compose stack, 6.3 GiB of RAM, from $49/month flat, and it runs on your laptop with the same files.