Immich
Immich: a first setup, important settings, verification, and recovery considerations.
Working directory: ~/homelab/apps/photos. Follow the common setup workflow first. This is a setup note based on the linked documentation, not a copy of my live configuration or a runtime verification of this full stack.
Start here
Use Immich's release-specific Compose and environment files together. Do not assemble database and machine-learning versions from unrelated tutorials. Check the current hardware requirements first; the small introductory lab is not a sizing recommendation for photo processing. Begin with copied sample photos, keeping originals elsewhere.
Settings and data
Set the upload location, database location, and a new database password in the supported environment file. Preserve the required filesystem properties for the database. Keep database and cache ports private. Decide which account owns uploads before importing a large library.
Check it
Upload a few samples, wait for background jobs, view thumbnails, and download an original for comparison. Restart and repeat. Test recovery of both database and photo files using the version-specific instructions. A database backup alone does not contain the photo library.
When something fails
Missing thumbnails may be a background-job, machine-learning, disk-space, or permissions issue. Check the relevant service logs before reimporting duplicates. Read migration notes before updating. Backup and restore explains the coordinated data recovery; self-hosting transfers that responsibility to you.