A cloud account, photo library and synchronized folder solve different problems. Choose which machine holds a complete copy and what happens when a phone, laptop or disk disappears. Sync and RAID do not replace an independent backup; a replicated deletion can reach every peer.
Nextcloud or Seafile can cover files and sharing. Immich and PhotoPrism organize photos with different clients and workflows. Check the recipe’s architecture and client limitations before promising automatic phone uploads to every family member.
Rehearse a family-sized restore
Back up original files together with the corresponding databases, metadata and credentials. Keep a copy outside the server and test recovery with an ordinary family account, including a shared file and a photo. Review link visibility and account access again after recovery. Disk minima are starting points; originals, previews, indexing and future uploads need additional space.
5Recipes
14.3 GBMinimum RAM
62 GBDisk estimate
Sets
What is in the set
The sum of the minimums the recipes below declare. It is a floor, not a recommendation: leave room for the operating system, backups and growth.
Your own cloud with files, calendar, and collaboration
Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current
Why it is here: Files and sharing under one account system. Calendars and office editing require separately chosen apps; the recipe does not configure every optional Nextcloud integration.
Self-hosted photo library with mobile sync and semantic search
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Why it is here: The photo half done properly: phone backup, deduplication, faces and albums. Budget for it seriously — 6 GB of RAM and 20 GB of disk to start, and the disk only goes one way.
File synchronisation between devices, directly and without a cloud
Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current
Why it is here: Replicates folders between paired devices. An always-on peer stores its own copy and helps when other devices sleep; deletions still synchronize, so retain separate backup and versioning.
Library-based file sync and sharing with fast desktop clients
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Why it is here: Sync-first storage with libraries and selective sync, which suits a household that lives out of a synced folder rather than a web interface. Note the recipe runs on amd64 only.
2048 MB RAM10 GBamd64MediumAGPL-3.0-only AND Apache-2.0Version 13.0.28
A private photo library with search, maps, and face recognition
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Why it is here: A lighter photo library than Immich, with local machine learning for search and faces. A good fit when the collection matters more than mobile backup.
A home server that earns its keepA modular home-server starter set: passwords, DNS, sync, monitoring, notifications, media and household recipes. Choose the services you need and add them gradually.
Applications with a minimum of 1 GB RAM or lessSmall declared resource requirements for a VPS or thin client, with new metrics, notifications, notes and utility recipes. The limit applies to each application separately.
What a Raspberry Pi can actually runA shortlist for 32-bit ARM systems, plus the newer options a 64-bit Pi can consider. Check the actual architecture test result before choosing a recipe.
Services that never need a public addressKeep household services behind loopback, a private network or a VPN. Private access still needs application authentication, safe initialization and backups.
A media library you ownFilms, music, audiobooks, podcasts and photographs from your own files. Match clients, storage and transcoding needs before choosing the server.
Knowing when your server stopsAvailability checks, server-resource history, notification delivery and a shared dashboard serve different jobs. Build only the layers you need and monitor from outside the server.
A personal workspace on your serverNotes, a structured wiki, tasks and developer utilities, with an optional local AI interface. Start with one tool and keep account access and backups explicit.
