Hydrus Network vs Piwigo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Piwigo
Open-source photo gallery for the web
| Feature | Hydrus Network | Piwigo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | WTFPL | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,211 | ★ 3,862 |
| First released | 2011 | 2002 |
| Replaces | Google Photos, Eagle | Flickr, Google Photos |
What are Hydrus Network and Piwigo?
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
Piwigo
Piwigo is a mature open-source photo gallery application for organizing, sharing, and showcasing photo collections. It targets photographers and organizations managing large galleries. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Large gallery management
- Plugin and theme ecosystem
- Granular access control
- Upload from desktop and mobile
Hydrus Network vs Piwigo: key differences
Hydrus Network is written in Python, while Piwigo is built with PHP. Licensing differs — WTFPL for Hydrus Network versus GPL-2.0 for Piwigo. Piwigo is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Hydrus Network. Piwigo is the more established project (first released 2002), while Hydrus Network arrived in 2011. Piwigo lists first-class Docker deployment; Hydrus Network does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hydrus Network if…
- Extremely powerful tagging
- Handles huge collections
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Complex interface
Choose Piwigo if…
- Very mature and stable
- Extensible
- Good for big collections
Watch out for
- Interface feels classic
- No modern AI search
Frequently asked questions
Is Hydrus Network or Piwigo better?
Piwigo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Hydrus Network if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Hydrus Network and Piwigo free and open-source?
Yes. Hydrus Network is licensed under WTFPL and Piwigo under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hydrus Network and Piwigo with Docker?
Hydrus Network: check the project docs for container support. Piwigo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hydrus Network or Piwigo?
Piwigo has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Hydrus Network. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.