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⬆ Upload

In the top right corner of the web interface, there is an upload button. Clicking it will open a file picker. You can select multiple files and upload them.

What kinds of files are supported?​

We accept all files that have a mime type of image or video.

How does it work?​

The upload process works in the following way:

  • Check if file is on the server by comparing the hash md5 + user_id
  • If it is, don't upload it
  • If it isn't, upload it
  • We upload files in 1MB chunks
  • If all files are uploaded, we scan the your scan folder + /uploads/web

Where are the files saved?​

The upload behavior depends on whether the user has a scan directory configured:

When scan directory is properly configured:​

  • Files are saved to: {scan_directory}/uploads/web/{filename}
  • This is the normal and expected behavior
  • Files are stored in the mounted host directory and are persistent

When scan directory is NOT configured (⚠️ Problem):​

  • Files are saved to: uploads/web/{filename} (relative path)
  • This resolves to /code/uploads/web/{filename} inside the container
  • Files are stored inside the container's filesystem
  • Files will be lost when the container is restarted or recreated
  • This is the issue described in librephotos-docker#144

Prerequisites for upload​

To use the upload feature properly, you must have:

  1. Upload feature enabled: Set ALLOW_UPLOAD=true in your environment variables or enable it in the admin panel
  2. Scan directory configured: Every user must have a scan directory set up by an admin

How to configure scan directory​

  1. Admin users only: Only admins can set scan directories for users
  2. Access admin panel: Click on your avatar (top right) → Admin Area
  3. Set scan directory: Manually set the Scan Directory for each user
  4. Verify path: The directory must exist and be accessible to the container

Activate / Deactivate the upload feature​

You can activate / deactivate by navigating as an admin to the admin area and clicking on the Allow uploads switch. You can also set this by setting the environment variable ALLOW_UPLOADS to true or false.

Scanning uploaded photos​

After upload, you can scan the uploaded photos in two ways:

  1. Automatic scanning: The upload process automatically triggers processing for the uploaded photo
  2. Manual scanning: You can manually scan all uploaded photos by going to the Library page and clicking the scan button

Troubleshooting​

Files disappear after container restart​

Cause: This happens when the user doesn't have a scan directory configured. Solution: Set up a scan directory for the user via the admin panel.

Upload fails with permission errors​

Cause: The container doesn't have write permissions to the scan directory. Solution: Check the directory permissions and ensure the container can write to the mounted directory.

Upload button not visible​

Cause: Upload feature is disabled. Solution: Enable uploads via environment variable ALLOW_UPLOAD=true or in the admin panel.

Docker configuration for uploads​

If you're using Docker and want to ensure uploads are properly mounted (workaround for missing scan directory):

backend:
  volumes:
    - ${scanDirectory}:/data
    - ${data}/uploads:/code/uploads  # Workaround for users without scan directory

However, the proper solution is to ensure all users have scan directories configured rather than relying on this workaround.