nanogallery2 vs Zenphoto
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | nanogallery2 | Zenphoto |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 12 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 791 | ★ 318 |
| First released | 2017 | 2006 |
| Replaces | Flickr, SmugMug | SmugMug, Flickr |
What are nanogallery2 and Zenphoto?
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
Zenphoto
Zenphoto is an open-source gallery and content management system focused on multimedia. It supports albums, theming, and plugins, making it suitable for personal photo websites and portfolios.
- Photo gallery CMS
- Theming and plugins
- Albums and tagging
- Multimedia support
nanogallery2 vs Zenphoto: key differences
Nanogallery2 is written in JavaScript, while Zenphoto is built with PHP. Nanogallery2 is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Zenphoto. Zenphoto is the more established project (first released 2006), while nanogallery2 arrived in 2017. Nanogallery2 has the considerably larger community, at 791 GitHub stars versus 318. Zenphoto lists first-class Docker deployment; nanogallery2 does not.
Why pick each one
Choose nanogallery2 if…
- Fully client-side
- Easy to embed
Watch out for
- Library, not a full app
- No upload management
Choose Zenphoto if…
- Mature project
- Good for portfolios
Watch out for
- Dated in places
- Requires LAMP stack
Frequently asked questions
Is nanogallery2 or Zenphoto better?
nanogallery2 is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Zenphoto if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are nanogallery2 and Zenphoto free and open-source?
Yes. nanogallery2 is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zenphoto under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run nanogallery2 and Zenphoto with Docker?
nanogallery2: check the project docs for container support. Zenphoto: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, nanogallery2 or Zenphoto?
nanogallery2 has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Zenphoto. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.