Deploy Immich on RamNode

Immich is a high-performance, self-hosted photo and video management solution that serves as an excellent alternative to cloud services like Google Photos or iCloud. By deploying Immich on your RamNode VPS, you maintain complete control over your media files while enjoying powerful features.

Before beginning this deployment, ensure you have the following:

Connect to your RamNode VPS via SSH and update the system packages.

ssh root@your-server-ip

apt update && apt upgrade -y

apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

Immich runs as a set of Docker containers. Install Docker Engine and the Compose plugin using Docker's official repository.

# Add Docker's official GPG key
install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add the Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker Engine and Compose
apt update
apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Create a dedicated directory for Immich and set up the storage locations.

mkdir -p /opt/immich
cd /opt/immich

mkdir -p ./library ./postgres

Download the official Docker Compose file and environment configuration from the Immich repository.

wget -O docker-compose.yml https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/docker-compose.yml

wget -O .env https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/latest/download/example.env

Edit the environment file to customize your Immich installation.

nano .env

Configure the following settings:

# Storage location for uploaded photos/videos
UPLOAD_LOCATION=/opt/immich/library

# Database storage location
DB_DATA_LOCATION=/opt/immich/postgres

# Set your timezone
TZ=America/New_York

# Immich version (leave as v2 for latest stable)
IMMICH_VERSION=v2

# Generate a secure database password
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password_here

Generate a secure password for the database:

openssl rand -base64 32

Copy the generated string and use it as your DB_PASSWORD value.

Launch the Immich containers using Docker Compose.

# Start Immich in detached mode
docker compose up -d

# Monitor the startup progress
docker compose logs -f

# Verify all containers are running
docker compose ps

You should see containers for immich_server, immich_machine_learning, immich_postgres, and immich_redis all in a running or healthy state.

Allow access to Immich through your server's firewall.

ufw allow 2283/tcp
ufw reload

Access Immich and create your admin account.

1. Click "Getting Started" to create your admin account
2. Fill in your name, email address, and a secure password
3. Complete the initial setup wizard to configure your preferences

For secure access to Immich from anywhere, configure Nginx as a reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt SSL certificates.

apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Create a new server block for your Immich domain:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/immich

Add the following configuration (replace photos.yourdomain.com with your domain):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name photos.yourdomain.com;

    # Allow large file uploads
    client_max_body_size 50000M;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:2283;
        proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;

        # WebSocket support
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_redirect off;

        # Timeouts for large uploads
        proxy_read_timeout 600s;
        proxy_send_timeout 600s;
    }
}

Enable the site and obtain SSL certificate:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/immich /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx
certbot --nginx -d photos.yourdomain.com

Install the Immich mobile app to enable automatic photo backup from your devices.

When configuring the app, enter your server URL (e.g., https://photos.yourdomain.com) and log in with your Immich credentials. Navigate to the backup settings (cloud icon) to configure automatic backup options.

Updating Immich

cd /opt/immich
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Backup Strategy

• Database: Immich includes built-in database backups. Access Administration → Server Settings to configure.
• Media Files: Set up regular backups of your UPLOAD_LOCATION directory.
• Configuration: Back up your .env and docker-compose.yml files.

rsync -avz /opt/immich/library/ /path/to/backup/location/

Viewing Logs

# View all container logs
docker compose logs -f

# View specific container logs
docker compose logs -f immich-server