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# Self-Hosted Photo Manager — TODO # Plex for Photos — Self-Hosted Photo Library Architecture
## Architecture A self-built media server for your photo collection, running as another container in your homelab. Follows the same pattern as your existing study app: React/Vite frontend + Express/SQLite backend, files stay on disk, DB just indexes them.
A self-built alternative to Immich: React/Vite frontend + Express/SQLite backend, ---
files stay on disk, DB indexes them, thumbnails are the only derived asset.
## High-Level Flow
``` ```
┌───────────────────┐ watches ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐ watches ┌──────────────────────┐
│ Photo folder(s) │ ─────────────────────▶ │ Ingestion Worker │ │ Photo Library │ ─────────────────────▶ │ Ingestion Engine │
│ (disk / NAS) │ │ (chokidar file watch) │ │ (disk / NAS) │ │ (chokidar file watch)│
└───────────────────┘ └───────────┬────────────┘ └───────────────────┘ └───────────┬───────────┘
│ extract EXIF, │ extract EXIF,
│ generate thumbnail, │ generate poster,
│ compute pHash │ compute pHash
▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ SQLite metadata DB │ │ SQLite metadata DB │
│ (photos, tags, │ │ (photos, collections,│
│ albums, hashes) │ │ hashes, artwork) │
└───────────┬────────────┘ └───────────┬───────────┘
│ │
▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ Express API server │ │ Express API server │
└───────────┬────────────┘ └───────────┬───────────┘
│ REST │ REST/WS
▼ ▼
┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ React/Vite frontend │ │ React/Vite frontend │
│ (timeline, albums, │ │ (browse, collections,│
│ search, map) │ │ discover, map) │
└──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘
``` ```
## Build Order Original files never move or duplicate — the DB just points to paths on disk. Posters (thumbnails) are the only generated/derived asset stored separately (for instant browsing and discovery views).
- [ ] **1. Ingestion worker + SQLite schema** — watch folder, extract EXIF, generate thumbnails, populate DB ---
- [ ] **2. Basic API + timeline UI** — paginated grid, chronological browsing (usable on its own)
- [ ] **3. Detail view + manual tagging/albums**
- [ ] **4. Dedupe detection + review UI** — pHash comparison, side-by-side review, keep/delete
- [ ] **5. Search + filters** — date range, camera model, tag
- [ ] **6. Map view** — Leaflet/MapLibre pins from GPS EXIF
- [ ] **7. Face grouping** — only if wanted after v1–v5 (biggest scope jump, treat as v2+)
## Stack ## Components
| Layer | Tech | ### Ingestion Engine
|---|---|
| File watching | `chokidar` (persistent) or cron scan |
| EXIF extraction | `exifr` or `exiftool` wrapper |
| Thumbnails | `sharp` (1–2 sizes: grid thumb + preview) |
| Dedupe hashing | pHash via `sharp` + hashing lib, or `blockhash-core` |
| Database | SQLite via `better-sqlite3` |
| API | Express |
| Frontend | React + Vite |
| Map | Leaflet or MapLibre |
| Deployment | Docker container, Nginx Proxy Manager, behind Authelia |
## Database Schema **Stack:** Node + chokidar (file watcher) or a scheduled scan job
```sql **On new file detected:**
photos ( - **Extract EXIF** (date taken, GPS, camera model, orientation) — exifr or exiftool wrapper
id, filepath, thumbnail_path, date_taken, date_imported, - **Generate posters** (e.g., sharp) at multiple sizes — grid poster + hero/preview size
camera_model, gps_lat, gps_lon, phash, width, height, filesize - **Compute a perceptual hash** (pHash via sharp + blockhash-core) for smart duplicate detection
) - **Insert a row** into SQLite: path, EXIF fields, poster path, hash, import timestamp
albums (id, name, created_at)
photo_albums (photo_id, album_id)
tags (id, name)
photo_tags (photo_id, tag_id)
```
## API Endpoints (planned) Runs as a background process inside the same container, or a separate lightweight worker container if you want to isolate it from the API.
``` ---
GET /photos paginated timeline (filter by date, tag, album)
GET /photos/:id full detail + EXIF
GET /photos/duplicates grouped by pHash similarity
GET /photos/map GPS-tagged photos for map view
POST /albums create album
POST /photos/:id/tags tag a photo
```
## Deployment Notes ### Database (SQLite)
- Mount photo folder(s) **read-only** (worker doesn't need write access to originals) **Core tables to start with:**
- Writable volume for thumbnails + DB
- Route: `photos.necloud.us` via Nginx Proxy Manager | Table | Purpose |
- Same homelab pattern as other services |-------|---------|
| `photos` | `id, filepath, poster_path, date_taken, date_imported, camera_model, gps_lat, gps_lon, phash, width, height, filesize` |
| `collections` | `id, name, created_at, description, poster_path` |
| `photo_collections` (join) | `photo_id, collection_id` |
| `tags` | `id, name` |
| `photo_tags` (join) | `photo_id, tag_id` |
Matches the SQLite pattern you're already using in the study app — no new infra to stand up.
---
### API Server (Express)
- **GET /photos** — paginated library query (filter by date range, tag, collection)
- **GET /photos/:id** — full detail + EXIF metadata
- **GET /photos/similar** — grouped by similar pHash (within a distance threshold)
- **POST /collections, POST /photos/:id/tags** — manual organization endpoints
- **GET /photos/map** — GPS-tagged photos for map view
- **Poster serving** — directly via endpoint or Nginx for static file efficiency
---
### Frontend (React/Vite)
- **Browse view** — infinite scroll, grouped by day/month, lazy-loaded posters (like Plex's continuous feed)
- **Collection/tag views** — same grid, filtered (like Plex collections for photos)
- **Detail view** — full image, EXIF panel, tag editor, related photos
- **Duplicate review** — side-by-side similar photos with keep/flag workflow (like Plex's duplicate management)
- **Map view** — Leaflet/MapLibre pins from GPS EXIF, click to open photo
- **Discovery/search** — date range, camera, tag filters, full-text search
---
## Smart Duplicate Detection (High Value — Do This Early)
At import time, compute pHash for every photo. On a scheduled job (or on-demand from a "Find Similar" button), compare hashes pairwise within a similarity threshold (Hamming distance) to group near-duplicates — burst shots, slightly different crops, etc.
Surface groups in a review UI rather than auto-deleting — you make the call, app just surfaces the candidates. This is much cheaper computationally than face recognition and gives you the real "cleanup" value people want from a photo manager.
---
## Face Grouping (Optional, Scope Carefully)
If you want this eventually:
**Options:** face-api.js (runs in Node, ONNX-based, no Python needed) or a Python microservice using face_recognition/dlib if you're OK adding a Python component.
Store face embeddings + bounding boxes in a `faces` table, cluster embeddings to group "this looks like the same person" without needing named identities upfront — you label clusters after the fact.
**This is the single biggest scope jump** — worth treating as a v2/v3 feature, not part of the initial build.
---
## Deployment Fit
**New container** (`photo-library`), same pattern as your other homelab services:
- Mounts your existing photo backup folder(s) read-only (ingestion engine doesn't need write access to originals) plus a writable volume for posters/DB
- Nginx Proxy Manager route (photos.necloud.us), behind Authelia like your other private services
- No external dependencies — everything runs locally against files already on disk
---
## Suggested Build Order
1. **Ingestion engine + SQLite schema** — watch folder, extract EXIF, generate posters, populate DB (get this solid before touching UI)
2. **Basic API + browse UI** — paginated grid, chronological browsing — this alone is already usable
3. **Detail view + manual tagging/collections**
4. **Smart duplicate detection + review UI** — high value, moderate effort
5. **Search + filters**
6. **Map view** (if your library has meaningful GPS data)
7. **Face grouping** (only if you still want it after living with V1–V6 for a while)