What is pellicola?

Pellicola is a lightweight PHP application for publishing photo collections online. It runs without a database on a web server with PHP 7+ and the GD and EXIF extensions. Capabilities include automatic pagination, search by filename and description, EXIF data display (aperture, focal length, shutter speed, ISO), optional OpenStreetMap integration for geotagged photos, multiple albums via subdirectories, RAW file download links, RSS feeds, statistics, random photo full-screen mode, keyboard access keys, and multi-language support. Deployment options include Docker, docker-compose with automatic HTTPS via Caddy, or a shell script on Debian-based systems. The application has no external dependencies and collects no user data.

Should you self-host pellicola?

pellicola scores 45/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #16 of 19 in Photo Galleries. It has 184 GitHub stars.

There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.

Setup is easy: most people get it running in one sitting. It is GPL-3.0-licensed and written mostly in PHP.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Immich (93/100, 117 509 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See pellicola vs Immich side by side.

Features

Album descriptions
EXIF data display
GDPR compliant
Keyboard access keys
Map IntegrationRequires SHOW_MAP config option enabled
Multi-language Support
Multiple albums
Pagination
Photo descriptions
Photo publishing
Random photo full-screen
RAW file downloadsRequires DOWNLOAD config option enabled
RSS Feed
Search
Statistics

How to configure pellicola

AUTO_REFRESH180Interval in seconds between random photo page refreshes.
Interval in seconds between random photo page refreshes.
BASE_URLhttps://domain.tldDomain name or IP address of the server Pellicola runs on. Include the full path if necessary.
Domain name or IP address of the server Pellicola runs on. Include the full path if necessary.
DELETE_PASSWORD$2y$12$7U709KLbqR1vdGuWAfcvZ.SKVk46OJE4qyfcUcAH0oXcoRrFiAIc6Hashed password to delete photos.
Hashed password to delete photos.
DOWNLOADfalseToggle photo download.
Toggle photo download.
values: true, false
FOOTERThis is PellicolaFooter text.
Footer text.
IMG_FORMATSjpg,jpeg,JPG,JPEGFile types Pellicola displays.
File types Pellicola displays.
LINKStrueEnable links in the footer.
Enable links in the footer.
values: true, false
OPENSTREETMAPtrueIf true, generates OpenStreetMap URL for geotagged photos; otherwise generates geo URI.
If true, generates OpenStreetMap URL for geotagged photos; otherwise generates geo URI.
values: true, false
PER_PAGE12Number of images per page for pagination.
Number of images per page for pagination.
RAW_FORMATSARW,arw,NEF,nef,ORF,orf,DNG,dngSupported RAW formats.
Supported RAW formats.
REVERSED_SORTtrueSet to true to show items in newest to oldest order.
Set to true to show items in newest to oldest order.
values: true, false
ROOT_PHOTO_DIRphotosDirectory for storing photos.
Directory for storing photos.
RSS_LIMIT31Show only items in the RSS feed newer than specified number of days.
Show only items in the RSS feed newer than specified number of days.
SHOW_MAPfalseIf set to true, shows a Leaflet-based map marking the position of the geotagged photo.
If set to true, shows a Leaflet-based map marking the position of the geotagged photo.
values: true, false
STATS_DIRstatsDirectory for storing downloads and views stats.
Directory for storing downloads and views stats.
SUBTITLEResponsive open-source photo gridTagline displayed under the title.
Tagline displayed under the title.
TIM_QUALITY100Quality of generated thumbnails.
Quality of generated thumbnails.
TIMS_DIRphotos/.tims/Directory for storing thumbnails.
Directory for storing thumbnails.
TIM_SIZE1200Thumbnail size.
Thumbnail size.
TITLEPellicolaName of the Pellicola instance.
Name of the Pellicola instance.