Damselfly 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.
| Feature | Damselfly | Hydrus Network |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | WTFPL |
| Language | C# | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,787 | ★ 3,211 |
| First released | 2020 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Google Photos | Google Photos, Eagle |
What are Damselfly and Hydrus Network?
Damselfly
Damselfly is a server-based digital asset manager designed to index and search very large photo collections quickly. It targets photographers with huge archives. It is deployed via Docker.
- Fast search of large libraries
- Face and object recognition
- Keyword tagging and export
- Works with existing folders
Hydrus Network
Hydrus Network is a personal media management application that lets you import images and files, tag them, and search a private collection with a powerful tag system. It includes a client-server architecture so the database can be self-hosted and accessed remotely.
- Powerful tag-based search
- Client-server architecture
- Local-first media database
- Duplicate detection
Damselfly vs Hydrus Network: key differences
Damselfly is written in C#, while Hydrus Network is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Damselfly versus WTFPL for Hydrus Network. Hydrus Network is the more established project (first released 2011), while Damselfly arrived in 2020. Damselfly lists first-class Docker deployment; Hydrus Network does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Damselfly if…
- Handles huge archives
- Non-destructive indexing
- Good search
Watch out for
- Niche tool
- Smaller community
Choose Hydrus Network if…
- Extremely powerful tagging
- Handles huge collections
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Complex interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Damselfly or Hydrus Network better?
Neither is universally better. Hydrus Network has the larger community, while Damselfly is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Damselfly and Hydrus Network free and open-source?
Yes. Damselfly is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Hydrus Network under WTFPL. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Damselfly and Hydrus Network with Docker?
Damselfly: yes. Hydrus Network: check the project docs for container support.