# Meeting Notes: Self-Hosted Photo Library

Date: July 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Location: Video call

## Attendees

- Maya Chen
- Luis Romero
- Priya Shah
- Daniel Brooks
- Nora Patel

## Agenda

1. Confirm goals for the self-hosted photo library
2. Review candidate platforms
3. Discuss storage, backup, and security requirements
4. Decide migration approach
5. Assign next steps

## Discussion

The group agreed the main goal is to replace shared cloud albums with a private, self-hosted photo library that supports automatic mobile uploads, face/object search, album sharing, and long-term archival storage.

Immich was reviewed as the leading option because it supports mobile backup, timeline browsing, machine learning search, shared albums, and active development. PhotoPrism was also discussed, but the group felt its mobile upload workflow would require more manual setup.

Storage needs were estimated at 4 TB initially, with room to grow to at least 12 TB over the next few years. The preferred setup is a small home server with mirrored storage, nightly local snapshots, and encrypted offsite backup.

Security requirements include HTTPS access, individual user accounts, strong passwords, restricted admin access, and no public indexing. Remote access will be provided through a VPN or reverse proxy with authentication.

## Decisions

- Use Immich as the photo library platform.
- Host the service on the existing home server rather than buying new hardware immediately.
- Store originals on mirrored drives with nightly snapshots.
- Use Backblaze B2 or another encrypted offsite backup target.
- Start with a pilot migration before importing the full archive.
- Limit external sharing to private album links with expiration dates where possible.

## Action Items

- Maya: Create a test Immich deployment using Docker Compose by July 15.
- Luis: Review current server storage health and confirm available disk capacity by July 16.
- Priya: Compare encrypted backup options and estimate monthly cost by July 17.
- Daniel: Export a sample set of 5,000 photos from the existing cloud library for pilot testing by July 18.
- Nora: Document user account requirements and sharing permissions by July 18.
- Maya and Luis: Run the pilot import and check metadata, duplicates, and mobile upload behavior by July 22.

## Open Questions

- Should remote access use VPN-only access or a hardened reverse proxy?
- What retention policy should apply to deleted photos?
- Should RAW files be stored in Immich or kept in a separate archive?
- How often should full restore tests be performed?