Immich 自託管實測：四個容器約佔 2.4 GB RAM
Self-host Immich: I measured what Google Photos replacement actually costs in RAM
作者實際部署 Immich，量得四個容器處理完 5 張相片後的整體 RAM 工作集約 2.4 GB，ML 處理期間峯值約 5 GB。測試中，CPU 智能搜尋以「sunset over water」找到正確相片並排第 1，耗時 2.2 s；移除 ML 服務仍可上載及瀏覽，但會失去智能搜尋和人臉辨識。作者建議預留 4 GB 以上可用 RAM，並備份相片資料夾及 pg_dump。
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karthik Posted on Oct 30•Originally published at freetierwatch-eax.pages.dev
Self-host Immich: I measured what Google Photos replacement actually costs in RAM
#selfhosted#docker#photos#opensource
Originally published on FreeTierWatch, where we actually deploy and measure what we write about.
Immich is the self-hosted Google Photos replacement — 115,000+ GitHub stars, mobile apps with automatic backup, face recognition, and ML-powered search ("sunset over water" actually finds your sunset photos). It's the app that convinced a generation of self-hosters that leaving Google Photos was possible.
It's also the heaviest thing we've deployed in this series. Where Vaultwarden runs in 14 MB and Uptime Kuma in ~150 MB, Immich is a four-container stack that wants gigabytes. We deployed it, uploaded photos, ran the ML search, and measured what it really costs.
What you need (honestly)
- 4 GB+ free RAM — our measured working set was ~2.4 GB across the stack, with spikes during ML processing
- ~5 GB disk before any photos — the images alone total 4.7 GB
- Docker + Compose, 20 minutes
- Not a 1 GB VPS. This is the app the free Oracle ARM VM (12 GB RAM) was made for
Step 1: the official Compose stack
Immich ships its own Compose file — use it rather than hand-rolling:
mkdir immich && cd immich
curl -LO https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml
curl -L -o .env https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.env
Edit .env before starting — two changes are non-optional:
# generate a real DB password (alphanumeric only — special chars break it)
DB_PASSWORD=$(openssl rand -hex 16)
# set your timezone or every photo's date will be UTC
TZ=Asia/Kolkata
Also note UPLOAD_LOCATION=./library — point this at your biggest disk; it's where every photo lives.
docker compose up -d
First start pulled 4.7 GB of images (server 2.44 GB, machine-learning 1.1 GB, Postgres-with-vector-extensions 989 MB, Valkey 180 MB) and took ~2.5 minutes on our connection. Then open http://localhost:2283, create the admin account, and click through onboarding.
What it costs to run (measured)
| Container | RAM (settled, 5 photos processed) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| immich_server | 962 MB | Peaked at 1.3 GB during initial processing |
| immich_machine_learning | 928 MB | ~200 MB idle; balloons when generating embeddings |
| immich_postgres | 465 MB | Vector-enabled Postgres (pgvecto.rs/VectorChord) |
| immich_redis (Valkey) | 14 MB | |
| Total working set | ~2.4 GB |
| Other metrics | Measured |
|---|---|
| Images on disk | 4.7 GB |
| Database size (5 photos) | 330 MB (ML models + vector indexes dominate) |
| Upload speed | 5 photos (470 KB avg) in 235 ms via API |
| ML smart search | "sunset over water" → correct photo ranked #1, 2.2 s on CPU |
| Server restart to ready | 5 s |
The headline: the machine-learning magic is real and runs fine on CPU — but it's why this stack needs several GB of RAM where a plain photo gallery would need 200 MB. That's the trade: Google-Photos-grade search, Google-Photos-grade resource bill (except you pay in RAM, not rupees).
Gotchas we hit or verified
- DB password charset: special characters in
DB_PASSWORDbreak the connection string — the env file warns you; believe it. Alphanumeric only. - The compose file changes between releases. Immich moves fast (it only recently left "breaking changes any week" beta culture). Always re-download the compose file from the release you're upgrading to — don't just
docker compose pull. - ML is optional but on by default. On a weak machine you can remove the
immich-machine-learningservice entirely — uploads and browsing work; you lose smart search and face recognition. - Mobile backup needs HTTPS or same-network HTTP. For remote access, put it behind a reverse proxy with TLS, or better: Tailscale — don't expose a photo library to the open internet.
- The database is not disposable. Unlike our other guides where the data volume was a convenience, here Postgres holds all metadata, albums, faces, and edits. Back up BOTH the
libraryfolder AND apg_dump— the official docs have a backup guide; follow it before you load 20,000 photos, not after.
When NOT to self-host Immich
- Under 4 GB of spare RAM — it will run badly or not at all. This is the one app in our series where the free-tier PaaS options are all non-starters; it needs a real machine.
- Your photos currently live only on your phone. Until your Immich server itself is backed up (3-2-1: the library folder + DB dump, off-site), it's not a backup — it's a second copy on hardware you administer. Google Photos' value was never the gallery; it was the durability.
- Intermittent homelab. A backup target that's offline when your phone wants to sync defeats the purpose. Our test box is a workstation; a real deployment wants always-on — the Oracle free VM's 2 OCPU/12 GB fits Immich better than anything else free.
What we actually ran this on
- Machine: Intel Core Ultra 7 255H (16 cores), 30 GB RAM, NVMe
- OS: Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS · Docker: 29.8.1, Compose v5.1.3
- Immich: v3 (release tag), official compose: server + ML + VectorChord Postgres + Valkey
- Verified: admin setup, API upload (5 photos), thumbnail + embedding generation, smart search ranking, restart persistence
- Date: 2026-10-30
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I verify free tiers against official docs and actually deploy what I write about. Building FreeTierWatch — dated, hand-verified data on every dev free tier.
- Joined Oct 6, 2026
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