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What a self-hosted Piwigo installation contains
Piwigo is open-source web gallery software. A VPS deployment is a small web application architecture rather than a single executable: the web server accepts requests, PHP runs Piwigo, a MySQL-compatible database stores application data, and ImageMagick or GD creates the sizes visitors view. Your original photographs remain on disk, while generated thumbnails and other multiple-size derivatives consume additional space.
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The Tool Desk
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Requirements and capacity planning
The current Piwigo requirements specify the following floors and components:
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| Component | Requirement or guidance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Operating environment | Linux VPS with SSH access for administration | SSH is needed for Docker management and is the normal way to maintain a VPS. |
| Web server | Nginx or Apache | Serves static files and forwards dynamic requests to PHP or the Piwigo container. |
| PHP | PHP 8.2 or newer | Piwigo’s current dependency floor; check extensions required by your selected plugins as well. |
| Database | MySQL 5.6 or newer, or MariaDB 10.1 or newer | Stores users, albums, configuration, tags, and other gallery metadata. |
| Image processing | ImageMagick recommended; GD is an alternative | Generates thumbnails and other sizes displayed by the gallery. |
| Optional media tools | ExifTool for metadata plugins; FFmpeg for the VideoJS poster-generation use case | Needed only when your plugins or media workflow use those capabilities. |
| Disk space | Enough for originals plus generated multiple-size caches | Derivative files can substantially increase storage beyond the source library. |
There is no universal CPU, RAM, or photo-count minimum published for every installation. Size the VPS from the number and resolution of originals, the amount of thumbnail generation during imports, concurrent visitors, and the plugins you enable. A small personal gallery and a large import run have very different bursts of CPU, memory, disk I/O, and temporary space. Leave headroom for database dumps and an upgrade staging copy instead of allocating only the current photo total.
Docker or manual installation?
Both routes are supported. Use the route that matches how you already operate Linux services.
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| Decision point | Official Docker deployment | Manual web-stack deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Isolation and repeatability | Packages the Piwigo and database workflow in containers and records settings in compose.yaml and .env. |
Uses the VPS’s own PHP, web server, database, and filesystem layout. |
| Host integration | Requires Docker networking, volumes, and a container-to-proxy connection. | Fits directly into an existing Nginx or Apache virtual host and PHP setup. |
| Updates | Pull the updated images, recreate the stack, and retain the compose and environment files. | Check the new release requirements, then replace application files while preserving your data directories and configuration. |
| Troubleshooting | Includes container status, service logs, volume ownership, database networking, and forwarded headers. | Focuses on PHP modules, web-server permissions, database connectivity, and the uploaded file tree. |
Docker is usually the easier choice when you want a reproducible deployment or do not want Piwigo’s PHP and database packages mixed with other sites. Manual installation is sensible when the VPS already has a carefully managed PHP stack, when your backup tooling expects ordinary directories, or when you prefer to debug services directly on the host.
Prepare the VPS before installing
- Point a domain or subdomain at the VPS, or decide which path on an existing site will host the gallery. Do not include a Piwigo release number in that public path.
- Enable SSH access and apply the operating system’s security updates before adding the gallery.
- Choose Nginx or Apache and plan HTTPS termination. A reverse proxy is required for the documented Docker arrangement; a manually installed site can use the web server directly.
- Reserve storage for originals, generated sizes, database dumps, temporary imports, and at least one maintenance copy. Monitor free space because an import can create many derivatives.
- Decide where an off-site backup will live. A second disk, another server, or object storage is useful only if it is outside the VPS failure domain and can be restored.
- Record the database name, database user, password, and table prefix you will use. Keep credentials out of public web directories and shell history where practical.
Route A: deploy the official Docker stack
1. Create a dedicated project directory
Log in over SSH, create a directory used only for Piwigo, and change into it. Download the official Piwigo compose.yaml into that directory. Keep this file under your normal configuration-backup process; it defines the services, volumes, and image versions used by the deployment.
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
2. Set the environment values
Create the .env file expected by the downloaded compose file. Set the exposed web port, database password, and timezone. If the compose documentation offers UID and GID options, set them to the account or group that should own files written to mounted directories. Do not invent variable names: use the names present in the official file you downloaded, because those names are part of the stack’s interface.
Protect .env from the web root and from untrusted users. It contains secrets and deployment choices needed to recreate the gallery.
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From the project directory, run:
docker compose up -dThen inspect startup output:
docker compose logsConfirm that both the Piwigo application and database services remain running. If a service exits, read its logs before repeatedly restarting it. Typical causes are an invalid environment value, a port already in use, insufficient permissions on a mounted directory, or a database that has not finished initializing.
4. Put the container behind Nginx
The Docker guide advises using Nginx as a reverse proxy. Create a server block for your domain or subdomain and proxy the public location to the port exposed by the Piwigo container. Pass these headers unchanged so Piwigo can construct correct links and log the real client address:
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HostX-Real-IPX-Forwarded-ForX-Forwarded-Proto
Terminate TLS at Nginx, redirect plain HTTP to HTTPS, and ensure the proxy target is reachable only as intended. If the gallery is published under a subpath such as /gallery, also pass X-Forwarded-Prefix with that path. Test both the home page and a deep album URL after reloading Nginx; missing prefix or scheme headers commonly produce broken links, redirect loops, or assets requested from the wrong location.
5. Run Piwigo’s first-run installer
Open the public URL in a browser. An uninstalled container redirects to the setup page. In the documented compose arrangement, enter piwigo-db:3306 as the database host, then provide the database user, password, database name, and table prefix defined for your stack. Create the webmaster identifier, password, and email address, and select Start Install. When installation completes, sign in to the administration panel and remove any temporary setup material that the deployment documentation tells you to remove.
Route B: install Piwigo into the VPS web stack
1. Download and extract the full archive
Obtain Piwigo’s full release archive, extract it locally or on the VPS, and upload all extracted contents to the web root or to a stable directory such as photos. The manual guide mentions an FTP client, but any secure file-transfer method that preserves the complete tree is suitable on a VPS. Do not upload only a subset of files: plugins, administration code, and the installer are part of the archive.
2. Set ownership and web-server access
Make the files readable by the web-server account and make the directories that Piwigo must write to writable by that account. The exact account differs between Apache, Nginx with PHP-FPM, and distributions. Grant the minimum write access required rather than making the whole document root world-writable. If the installer reports a permission problem, correct ownership and mode on the named directory, then reload the page.
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3. Complete the browser installer
Open the stable gallery URL. Piwigo detects that the instance is not installed and redirects to its installer. Enter the database host, user, password, database name, and table prefix. Create the webmaster identifier, password, and email address, submit the installation, and sign in to administration. Keep the public directory name stable so a later release replacement does not change the URL.
After the first login
- Confirm that the administration panel loads over HTTPS and that a normal visitor can open an album, an individual photo, and a generated size.
- Upload a small test set and verify that thumbnails and other sizes are created. If generation fails, check ImageMagick or GD availability and the write permissions on the gallery directories.
- Check the server’s PHP version against the current requirement before enabling plugins. A plugin can impose additional PHP extensions beyond Piwigo’s base requirement.
- For metadata-heavy workflows, install and test ExifTool only if the plugin you use requires it. For VideoJS poster generation, install and test FFmpeg.
- Set a routine for operating-system updates, Piwigo updates, database dumps, and free-space alerts. Record the exact Docker compose directory or manual document-root location so another administrator can recover it.
Backups and upgrades
What to back up before a Docker update
Before changing images or compose settings, create a database dump and copy all of these artifacts:
- The
galleriesdirectory containing your original gallery files. - The
uploaddirectory containing uploaded files. - The
localdirectory containing local configuration and customizations. compose.yaml, which defines the stack..env, which contains deployment values and secrets.
Photo directories can consume substantial space, so check the destination’s capacity before copying. Keep at least one backup away from the VPS and periodically perform a restore test: import the database dump into a disposable database and restore the directories into a test instance or a controlled recovery location. A backup that has never been read or restored is an assumption, not a verified recovery plan.
Manual-install upgrade discipline
For a manual installation, read the target release requirements first, make the same database and file backups, and preserve the galleries, upload, and local content while replacing application files from the new archive. Keep the web-server and PHP configuration under version control or in your infrastructure notes so a package update does not silently remove a required extension or change the PHP-FPM account.
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Ownership checks after maintenance
The official Piwigo CLI can diagnose ownership and perform gallery database backups. Its documentation notes that the web-server user differs between plain Apache, Docker, and other setups. Run ownership diagnostics after an update or restore, especially if files were copied as root or extracted by a different account. Correct ownership before testing uploads; otherwise the first symptom may be a failed thumbnail job rather than an obvious permission error.
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Storage, performance, and reliability decisions
Estimate storage from derivatives, not originals alone
Piwigo creates multiple sizes for browsing. The source library may fit comfortably while the generated cache does not, particularly when importing high-resolution images or enabling many size configurations. Track the growth of the original directories and generated directories separately, reserve room for temporary processing, and avoid filling the filesystem to its limit because the database and web server also need working space.
Match the VPS to the workload
There is no published one-size-fits-all CPU or RAM recommendation. A private gallery with occasional uploads can use a smaller instance than a public library with many simultaneous visitors and a large initial resize job. Increase resources when imports monopolize CPU, PHP workers queue, database requests become slow, or disk I/O remains saturated. Measure your own workload rather than treating an unqualified provider size as a Piwigo requirement.
Design for failure
Self-hosted operators own the backup and redundancy design. Piwigo’s hosted service advertises regular backups and replication to a standby server, but a VPS installation does not acquire those protections automatically. Your plan should specify where the database dump and photo copies go, how often they are made, how long they are retained, who can decrypt or access them, and the recovery steps for a failed disk or an incorrect upgrade.
Quick Recap
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Checks | Likely correction |
|---|---|---|
| The browser cannot connect | Check the container status, the exposed port, Nginx’s upstream target, firewall rules, and docker compose logs. |
Free the conflicting port, correct the proxy target, or fix the service that exited. |
| Redirect loop or HTTP links behind HTTPS | Verify that Nginx passes X-Forwarded-Proto and that TLS termination and the public URL agree. |
Correct the forwarded scheme and reload Nginx. |
Broken links only under /gallery |
Check that the proxy sends X-Forwarded-Prefix /gallery and that the location mapping preserves the path. |
Fix the prefix header or location configuration. |
| Installer cannot reach the database | Confirm the database host and port, credentials, service name, and that the database container is healthy. | Use the compose network hostname and port documented for your stack, then inspect database logs. |
| Uploads or thumbnails fail | Check web-server ownership, free disk, PHP limits, and whether ImageMagick or GD is installed and callable. | Correct permissions, free capacity, adjust the applicable PHP limits, or install the selected image library. |
| Files work before an update but not afterward | Compare ownership and modes, confirm that local and the data directories were restored, and review CLI diagnostics. |
Restore the preserved directories and assign them to the account used by the current web server or container. |
Operational checklist
- Verify PHP 8.2 or newer, a supported MySQL or MariaDB version, and ImageMagick or GD.
- Choose Docker or manual installation based on isolation versus host integration.
- Use a stable domain, subdomain, or path that does not contain the release number.
- Deploy over HTTPS; for Docker, proxy through Nginx and pass all required forwarded headers.
- Complete the browser installer and test an upload, thumbnail, album, and administration login.
- Back up the database,
galleries,upload,local,compose.yaml, and.envbefore updates. - Store a copy off the VPS and verify that both database and file restores work.
- After maintenance, check ownership with the Piwigo CLI or equivalent filesystem checks.
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