SHSelfHostIndex

Shotwell Server vs Hydrus Network

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
SH Shotwell Server Digital photo organizer with tagging and event grouping VS HY Hydrus Network Self-hosted tag-based media organizer and image database
FeatureShotwell ServerHydrus Network
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseLGPL-2.1WTFPL
LanguageValaPython
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 400★ 3,148
First released20092011
ReplacesGoogle Photos, Apple PhotosGoogle Photos, Eagle

Why pick each one

Choose Shotwell Server if…

  • Fast and stable
  • No accounts
Shotwell Server details

Choose Hydrus Network if…

  • Extremely powerful tagging
  • Handles huge collections
Hydrus Network details

Frequently asked questions

Is Shotwell Server or Hydrus Network better?

Neither is universally better. Hydrus Network has the larger community, while Shotwell Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Shotwell Server and Hydrus Network free and open-source?

Yes. Shotwell Server is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Hydrus Network under WTFPL. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Shotwell Server and Hydrus Network with Docker?

Shotwell Server: check the project docs for container support. Hydrus Network: check the project docs for container support.

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