Image-Sharing software alternative

Looking for Software Forum
1

I’ve been doing a lot of event photography lately and often get requests to share images. Right now, I’m using Dropbox, but I really dislike it for a few reasons:

  • The sharing links are long and cryptic.
  • It’s pricey.
  • It looks unprofessional.

What I’m looking for is a self-hosted file-sharing solution that’s visually appealing and efficient. I’ve checked out online photo galleries, but they usually focus on bulk sharing rather than sharing specific images with specific people.

Here’s what I need:

  • Easy creation of online folders for sharing images/videos.
  • Support for custom domains (e.g., example.tld/gallery/someuniquesharename).
  • Subfolder support.
  • Randomized share names for security, so links can’t be easily guessed.
  • Excellent mobile support, as 90% of users will access via phones/tablets.
  • Integrated image previews.

I don’t need complex permissions; just a simple setup where anyone with the link can view and download the content without uploading. Ideally, this would be self-hosted as a website or service on a virtual server, and the custom domain is essential for a professional appearance.

2

I have a web server. Just upload the image, give the other guy a link, done.

3

We use Nextcloud for this, and you can self-host it if you want, i haveve done that before. But now, we use it as a service on a Hetzner server since maintaining and updating it can be a lot of work.

4

I use ToffeeShare for all my file-specific sharing. I just select the entire location, like dir:\\Media\Images\, and since it doesn’t accept directories directly, I add a .zip extension to the path. This tricks it into sharing a live folder instead. This way, I can create static links for each type of file I want to share.

5

If you enjoy tinkering, you might want to try self-hosting with WordPress. It offers a lot right out of the box, and with just a few plugins, you can get exactly what you need and it’s free!

6

Have you checked out Immich app? It looks like a great option!