Self-host Immich: your own Google Photos
Run Immich on a computer you already own and back up your phone's photos to it from anywhere, at its own web address with HTTPS. No port forwarding, no VPN on the phone.
Install Immich from the App Store
Sign in at my.dargo.net, open App Store, search for Immich and click Install. Pick the device it runs on: ideally one with plenty of disk space.
Choose its web address
Keep Subdomain and type a name, for example alexphotos. Immich will live at alexphotos.dargo.app, with HTTPS. Click Install and wait a few minutes.
Create the admin account
On your device's page, click the arrow on the Immich card. Click Getting Started: the first account you create is the admin. Sign in with it.
Upload from the web
Click Upload and pick photos or videos. They are stored on your computer.
Back up your phone
Install the Immich app (App Store or Google Play). As the server URL, enter your address, for example
https://alexphotos.dargo.app, sign in, and turn on Backup. Because the address works from anywhere, backup works on Wi-Fi and on mobile data, with no VPN.Optional: use your own domain
On the Immich card, click Settings, choose Custom Domain, and add the DNS records Dargo shows. Then use the new address in the phone app. See Use your own domain.
Good to know
- Your photos stay on your computer's disk. Keep a second copy somewhere else as well (an external disk, for example).
- The computer has to be on and connected for the phone to back up and for you to browse your library.
- Immich's face recognition and smart search run on your computer too. They need more memory; a computer with 6 GB or more is a good start.