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Your original photos are not automatically lost when a self-hosted gallery fails. They usually remain as ordinary files on the storage volume, but the gallery’s albums, search index, face recognition, user accounts, edits, and other organization may depend on a separate database. A reliable recovery plan therefore backs up both the media files and the application’s database or index, then restores them using instructions for the exact software version.
The short answer: files may survive while the gallery’s organization does not
A self-hosted gallery normally has two distinct layers:
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- Application data: the database or index containing file paths, albums, labels, users, search data, facial-recognition results, edits, and other settings.
If the application container, web server, or operating system breaks while the storage remains healthy, the originals can still be copied and opened with a file manager or another photo application. Reinstalling the gallery may bring the interface back, but it will not necessarily recreate every album or piece of metadata from the files alone.
The reverse failure is more serious: a database dump cannot recreate missing image and video contents. Immich’s official documentation states, “Database backups do not contain photos or videos — only metadata.” The same principle applies broadly to self-hosted galleries: a database is a map and an organizational record, not a substitute for the files it references.
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What “stops working” can mean
The outcome depends on which component failed. Identify the failure before attempting a restore or deleting anything.
| Failure | What may still exist | Likely consequence | First action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallery application or container fails | Originals, database, and storage may all be intact | The web interface is unavailable, but the library may be recoverable without data loss | Check the storage volume and application logs; do not reformat or recreate volumes |
| Database or index is corrupted or deleted | Original media may remain | Albums, search, labels, users, and other app-managed data may be incomplete or absent | Preserve the originals and restore the database backup before trying a destructive rebuild |
| Original-media storage fails | A database backup may remain | The database can describe files that no longer exist; it cannot restore their contents | Restore media from an independent copy, then restore the database |
| Both media and database are lost | Only any additional backup or export survives | Recovery depends entirely on those independent copies | Locate every backup destination and verify what each contains |
| Files and database were backed up at different times | Both sets may exist, but not at one consistent point | The restored database can refer to files missing from the media copy, or vice versa | Use a coordinated backup or follow the project’s documented ordering |
Can you open the photos without the gallery?
Usually, yes. Originals are normally stored as regular files in a directory tree, so a file manager, operating-system photo viewer, or another application can open them if the storage device and filesystem are readable. This gives you access to the image or video content even when the gallery’s web interface is down.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11What you may lose is the layer added by the gallery. A folder may not preserve an album’s membership, a manually applied label, a face-recognition result, a saved search, or the account that uploaded an item. Some applications write additional information into sidecar files or embedded metadata, but you should not assume that every gallery feature is represented there. Treat the originals and the application database as separate assets.
Do not “test” a failing disk by repeatedly moving or renaming the only copy. If the storage device is making unusual noises, disappearing, or reporting read errors, make a sector-level or professional recovery decision before ordinary file operations. A working gallery cannot compensate for a failing storage device.
What to back up for a complete recovery
A useful backup is more than a database export and more than a mirror of the photo folder. Include each layer that the particular application uses.
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Original photos and videos
These are the irreplaceable contents. Include every upload and import location, not just a folder named “photos.” Immich’s current guidance identifies UPLOAD_LOCATION/library, UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload, and UPLOAD_LOCATION/profile as critical original-content folders, while warning that configured or older deployments can differ. Confirm the actual paths in your deployment before copying them.
Database or index
The database records paths and user metadata and often holds the information that makes albums, search, labels, and accounts work. Save a native backup using the application’s documented method, and retain enough history to recover from an unnoticed corruption rather than only the newest copy.
Storage, sidecars, thumbnails, and configuration
Generated files can often be recreated, but keeping them shortens recovery and may preserve information that is not in the database. PhotoPrism recommends including its storage folder, which can contain thumbnails, sidecars, and configuration, in addition to the originals and index database. Other projects use different directory names and semantics; copy the folders specified by their own documentation.
Deployment information
Record the application version, container or package configuration, volume mappings, database engine, environment variables, scheduled jobs, and encryption keys. These details are not a replacement for data backups, but they prevent a lengthy reconstruction when you install the same application on a new host.
An independent destination
Keep at least one copy that does not depend on the same host, power supply, filesystem, or account as the live gallery. An external drive can be one additional destination, but one drive attached to the server is not a complete disaster-recovery plan. The practical test is whether a single failure could destroy both the live data and every backup.
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How to make a consistent backup
Database and filesystem copies represent different moments unless you coordinate them. A photo uploaded while the database dump is running can leave one backup referring to a file that the other does not contain.
- Choose a maintenance window. Note the gallery version and confirm that the destination has enough space for originals, database exports, storage data, and history.
- Stop writes if possible. Immich recommends stopping the server while taking a backup because this is the best way to keep files and database records synchronized.
- Export the database or index using the project’s documented procedure. Keep the export with a timestamp and the application version.
- Copy the original-media directories. Preserve the directory structure, filenames, permissions where relevant, and symbolic-link targets if the application uses them.
- Copy supporting storage and configuration. For PhotoPrism, this includes the storage folder when available; for another gallery, use its equivalent documented locations.
- Verify the result. Check that the backup can be read, compare file counts or checksums where practical, and inspect the database export rather than assuming a command succeeded.
- Resume the service and document the backup. Record the date, software version, destinations, and exactly which folders and database were included.
If stopping Immich is not possible, its documented fallback order is database first and filesystem second. That order is intended to reduce the chance that the database backup refers to files absent from the copied filesystem. It is still less robust than a maintenance-window backup, and active uploads can complicate any unscheduled copy.
Recovery scenario: the application fails but storage survives
This is often the least damaging case. Do not delete the media volume while reinstalling the application.
- Identify whether the originals, database, and storage directories are still readable.
- Save an additional copy of the originals before changing the installation.
- Install the same application and, where possible, the same version on a clean environment.
- Reconnect the existing media and supporting storage locations using the documented volume paths.
- Restore the database or index according to the project’s restore guide.
- Start the service and inspect albums, counts, recent uploads, permissions, and search before declaring recovery complete.
Restoring only the application code can produce an empty-looking gallery even though the files are present. Conversely, pointing a fresh database at an existing folder may not import anything automatically. Immich explicitly says it does not scan the library folder to reconstruct its database, so restoring the database is essential for a faithful Immich recovery.
Recovery scenario: the database or index is lost, but originals survive
Your images and videos may still be safe, but expect an incomplete gallery until the application rebuilds its data.
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Immich
Because Immich relies on its database for paths and metadata and does not reconstruct that database by scanning the library folder, a folder-only restore is not equivalent to a normal Immich restore. Use a database backup made for the same deployment and follow the version-specific instructions. If no database backup exists, preserve the originals and consult the project’s current recovery guidance before attempting an import or re-upload workflow; do not assume that a scan will recreate the prior albums and users.
PhotoPrism
PhotoPrism documents a complete rescan when supporting data is missing. With the originals available, a rescan can recreate sidecars and thumbnails, although the result may not contain every prior index detail. PhotoPrism also documents human-readable YAML exports for album and photo metadata. Those exports can help recover some metadata and albums when the index database is unavailable, provided automatic exports were not disabled. The database remains the primary metadata store, and editing YAML alone does not change what appears in the interface; it must be restored or imported through the documented process.
What not to expect
A rescan is not a universal promise that every application will recover albums, labels, edits, or user assignments. Behavior differs by project and version. Preserve the original directory tree and any sidecars before experimenting, because a mistaken import or cleanup can make later recovery harder.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Recovery scenario: the originals are lost but the database survives
A database-only restore produces records pointing to absent paths. It cannot regenerate the pixels in a photograph or the frames in a video. Restore the original-media backup first, preserving the paths expected by the database, then restore the database and supporting storage. If the media backup used different paths, use the application’s documented migration or path-remapping method rather than editing database tables directly.
Thumbnails may provide small previews in some systems, but they are not a substitute for original files and should not be treated as a recoverable full-resolution archive.
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Recovery scenario: both media and database backups exist
This is the best case, but consistency and version still matter.
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- Install the matching version in an isolated or otherwise controlled environment.
- Restore the original-media paths and supporting storage directories.
- Restore the database or index using the project’s official sequence.
- Run integrity checks and sample real files, not just thumbnails.
- Only after validation, reconnect clients and resume normal uploads.
Immich says its backup and restore process changed in version 2.5.0. A backup made before that change may require the manual instructions for the older version rather than the current procedure. More generally, never assume that a guide for one release applies unchanged to another.
Backup plans compared
Use the following criteria when evaluating a plan. A plan that scores well on only one row is not a complete gallery backup.
| Plan | Originals included? | Database/index included? | Storage, sidecars, configuration? | Independent of live host? | Consistent point in time? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Database export only | No | Yes | Usually no | Only if stored elsewhere | Database point only; no matching media snapshot |
| Photo-folder copy only | Yes | No | Usually no | Only if stored elsewhere | Not necessarily |
| Live-host mirror | Usually yes | Maybe | Maybe | No; one host failure can affect both | Depends on the copy method |
| Coordinated media plus database backup | Yes | Yes | Include where documented | Yes, if sent to another system or location | Yes when writes are stopped or the documented order is followed |
| 3-2-1 arrangement | Yes | Yes | Include where documented | At least one copy should be off the primary host | Each backup set should be coordinated |
The 3-2-1 approach means keeping three copies of important data, on two types of storage, with one copy separated from the primary location. It is a strategy, not a guarantee: test that the copies can actually be read and restored.
Signs that a restore is incomplete
- The gallery shows fewer items than the filesystem contains.
- Albums or labels are missing even though the originals open normally.
- Search returns no results because the index was not restored or rebuilt.
- Thumbnails are absent while full-resolution files are present.
- Recent uploads are missing because the media and database backups came from different times.
- The application starts but reports paths, permissions, or database-schema errors.
Stop and make a copy of the current restored state before trying a second procedure. Repeated rescans, migrations, or database conversions can overwrite useful evidence and make it difficult to return to the original backup.
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- List every directory that contains originals, uploads, profiles, sidecars, thumbnails, and configuration.
- Schedule database or index exports and retain multiple dated versions.
- Copy originals and supporting storage to an independent destination.
- Record the exact application version and deployment configuration.
- Document whether the gallery is stopped during backup and, if not, which order is used.
- Perform a test restore on spare storage or a separate host.
- Open several restored originals and verify albums, metadata, and search separately.
- Update the procedure when the gallery version changes.
The central rule is simple: protect the files that contain the photos and the database that tells the gallery how to organize them. Either one without the other can leave you with an incomplete recovery.
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