Chevereto vs nanogallery2
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Chevereto
Self-hosted image hosting and sharing platform
VS
nanogallery2
JavaScript photo and video gallery library you host yourself
| Feature | Chevereto | nanogallery2 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 12 · At risk |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 995 | ★ 791 |
| First released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Imgur, Flickr | Flickr, SmugMug |
What are Chevereto and nanogallery2?
Chevereto
Chevereto is a self-hosted image hosting platform for uploading, organizing, and sharing images with the public or privately. It targets users who want their own image-sharing site. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Image upload and sharing
- User accounts and albums
- API for integrations
- Moderation tools
nanogallery2
nanogallery2 is an open-source JavaScript photo and video gallery library that builds responsive, touch-enabled galleries from images stored on your own server. It runs fully client-side and is self-hosted on any static web host.
- Responsive image galleries
- Touch and swipe support
- Lightbox display
- Multiple data sources
Chevereto vs nanogallery2: key differences
Chevereto is written in PHP, while nanogallery2 is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Proprietary for Chevereto versus GPL-3.0 for nanogallery2. Nanogallery2 is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Chevereto. Chevereto is the more established project (first released 2013), while nanogallery2 arrived in 2017. Chevereto lists first-class Docker deployment; nanogallery2 does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Chevereto if…
- Good Imgur-style site
- Multi-user
- API available
Watch out for
- Paid for full version
- Not open source
Choose nanogallery2 if…
- Fully client-side
- Easy to embed
Watch out for
- Library, not a full app
- No upload management
Frequently asked questions
Is Chevereto or nanogallery2 better?
Neither is universally better. Chevereto has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Chevereto and nanogallery2 free and open-source?
Yes. Chevereto is licensed under Proprietary and nanogallery2 under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chevereto and nanogallery2 with Docker?
Chevereto: yes. nanogallery2: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Chevereto or nanogallery2?
nanogallery2 has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Chevereto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.