Damselfly Web vs MyPhotoShare
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Damselfly Web | MyPhotoShare |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 15 |
| First released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Flickr, YouTube | Google Photos, Flickr |
What are Damselfly Web and MyPhotoShare?
Damselfly Web
MediaGoblin is a free software media publishing platform for hosting photos, video, audio, and more on your own server. It is decentralized, federated, and designed as an alternative to centralized media silos.
- Multi-media publishing
- Decentralized and federated
- Photo, video, and audio support
- Plugin system
MyPhotoShare
MyPhotoShare is a self-hosted, lightweight photo gallery generator that creates a static web gallery from a folder of photos and videos. It produces a fast, responsive browsing experience with no database or server-side code needed.
- Static photo gallery generator
- No database needed
- Responsive browsing
- Video support
Damselfly Web vs MyPhotoShare: key differences
Damselfly Web is written in Python, while MyPhotoShare is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Damselfly Web versus GPL-3.0 for MyPhotoShare. MyPhotoShare is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Damselfly Web. Damselfly Web is the more established project (first released 2011), while MyPhotoShare arrived in 2014. Damselfly Web has the considerably larger community, at 700 GitHub stars versus 15. Damselfly Web lists first-class Docker deployment; MyPhotoShare does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Damselfly Web if…
- Handles many media types
- Privacy respecting
Watch out for
- Complex setup
- Slower development
Choose MyPhotoShare if…
- Fast static output
- Low maintenance
Watch out for
- No upload interface
- Regeneration required for changes
Frequently asked questions
Is Damselfly Web or MyPhotoShare better?
Neither is universally better. Damselfly Web has the larger community, while MyPhotoShare is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Damselfly Web and MyPhotoShare free and open-source?
Yes. Damselfly Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and MyPhotoShare under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Damselfly Web and MyPhotoShare with Docker?
Damselfly Web: yes. MyPhotoShare: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Damselfly Web or MyPhotoShare?
MyPhotoShare has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Damselfly Web. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.