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Photofield vs Stingle API Server

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?
PH Photofield Fast experimental photo viewer for huge libraries VS ST Stingle API Server Self-hostable backend for the Stingle encrypted photo apps
FeaturePhotofieldStingle API Server
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score79 · Good57 · Fair
CategoryPhoto ManagementPhoto Management
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguageGoPHP
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 608★ 15
First released20222020
ReplacesGoogle PhotosGoogle Photos

What are Photofield and Stingle API Server?

Photofield

Photofield is an experimental, fast photo viewer designed to browse very large photo collections smoothly. It uses a tile-based layout to render hundreds of thousands of images without slowing down.

  • Handles huge libraries
  • Smooth tile-based viewing
  • Fast indexing
  • Low resource use

Stingle API Server

Stingle API Server is the self-hostable PHP backend for Stingle Photos, an end-to-end encrypted photo and video backup app. Running your own server lets the Stingle mobile clients back up encrypted media to infrastructure you control.

  • End-to-end encrypted photos
  • Self-hostable API server
  • Stingle mobile clients
  • Private backup

Photofield vs Stingle API Server: key differences

Photofield is written in Go, while Stingle API Server is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Photofield versus AGPL-3.0 for Stingle API Server. Photofield is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Stingle API Server. Stingle API Server is the more established project (first released 2020), while Photofield arrived in 2022. Photofield has the considerably larger community, at 608 GitHub stars versus 15.

Why pick each one

Choose Photofield if…

  • Excellent performance
  • Simple deployment

Watch out for

  • Viewer only, no editing
  • Experimental status
Photofield details

Choose Stingle API Server if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in PHP

Watch out for

  • Setup is involved
  • Smaller ecosystem
Stingle API Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Photofield or Stingle API Server better?

Photofield is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Stingle API Server if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Photofield and Stingle API Server free and open-source?

Yes. Photofield is licensed under MIT and Stingle API Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Photofield and Stingle API Server with Docker?

Photofield: yes. Stingle API Server: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Photofield or Stingle API Server?

Photofield has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Stingle API Server. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.

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