Cloudinary

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Cloudinary

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to Cloudinary.

Cloudinary is a cloud-based media management platform that stores, transforms, optimizes, and delivers images and videos via APIs and a CDN. It supports on-the-fly format conversions, responsive/adaptive transformations, automated optimization, asset metadata and delivery workflows.

Alternatives List

#1
Pimcore

Pimcore

Pimcore is an open core data and experience management platform combining PIM/MDM, DAM, CMS/DXP, CDP and digital commerce with extensible APIs and modeling tools.

Pimcore is an open core data and experience management platform that unifies product/master data, digital assets, and web content with a flexible framework. It is commonly used to build tailored PIM/MDM, DAM, CMS/DXP, CDP, and commerce solutions on top of a single data model.

Key Features

  • Structured data modeling for PIM/MDM-style product and master data management
  • Digital Asset Management for organizing files and enriching them with metadata and versions
  • CMS/DXP capabilities for managing websites and content using template-based rendering
  • Extensible architecture built on Symfony, with reusable bundles and integrations
  • APIs for managing and delivering structured data and content to multiple channels
  • User and permission management suitable for editorial and data governance workflows

Use Cases

  • Centralize product data, categories, and enrichment workflows for omnichannel syndication
  • Manage and transform digital assets (images, documents, media) for web and commerce outputs
  • Build content-driven websites that combine structured data with editorial pages

Limitations and Considerations

  • Community support for a minor version ends when the next minor version is released; longer-term support is tied to paid editions

Pimcore fits teams that want a single platform to consolidate content, assets, and structured business data while retaining high flexibility for custom implementations. It is especially suited for organizations that need strong data modeling and multi-channel delivery in one stack.

3.7kstars
1.5kforks
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#2
Diskover

Diskover

Diskover indexes file systems with Elasticsearch to provide fast file search, metadata analytics, and storage visibility across on-prem, NAS, and cloud storage.

Diskover is a data management and analytics platform for unstructured file data that crawls storage, enriches file metadata, and indexes it for fast search and reporting. It is designed to help teams understand what they have, where it lives, and how storage is being used.

Key Features

  • Crawls and indexes heterogeneous storage (local file systems, NFS/SMB shares, and other supported sources)
  • Elasticsearch-backed indexing for fast file search and filtering
  • Storage usage analytics to identify cold data, growth trends, and large consumers
  • Duplicate file discovery and wasted-space analysis
  • Extensible metadata enrichment via plugins
  • Web UI for search, reporting, and operational visibility

Use Cases

  • Storage capacity planning and cost optimization by finding cold/unused or duplicate data
  • Rapid file discovery and investigation across large shares and mixed storage
  • Data hygiene initiatives such as organizing, tagging, and preparing curated datasets for analytics

Limitations and Considerations

  • Requires running and maintaining an Elasticsearch cluster for indexing and search
  • Crawling very large environments may require tuning and scheduling to manage resource usage

Diskover fits organizations and advanced homelabs that need centralized visibility into file data sprawl and want searchable metadata at scale. It pairs a crawler/indexer with a web interface to turn unstructured storage into actionable insights for cleanup, governance, and operations.

1.7kstars
180forks
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#3
FileFlows

FileFlows

Self-hosted workflow automation for media and file libraries—watch folders, run FFmpeg/metadata steps, and route outputs with a visual flow builder.

FileFlows screenshot

FileFlows is a self-hosted, visual workflow automation tool focused on processing files—commonly media—based on events like new/changed files in watched folders. It lets you build flows (pipelines) that analyze, transform, move, and notify, using a library of reusable nodes and tools.

Key Features

  • Visual flow builder for creating file-processing pipelines (node/graph based)
  • Watch folders and triggers to automatically run flows on new or modified files
  • Media-centric processing steps (e.g., transcode/remux, probe/inspect media)
  • Integration with external tools (commonly FFmpeg) via dedicated nodes/scripts
  • Conditional logic and routing (decisions, branching, filtering)
  • Central dashboard for job history, status, and troubleshooting
  • Runs as a server with workers/nodes to scale processing across machines

Use Cases

  • Automatically transcode and standardize video libraries when new files arrive
  • Validate, rename, and organize downloads into a consistent folder structure
  • Generate derivatives (e.g., lower-bitrate versions) and route outputs to storage

Limitations and Considerations

  • Feature set is oriented toward file/media pipelines; it’s not a general-purpose iPaaS
  • Effective use typically requires familiarity with media tooling (e.g., FFmpeg) and codecs

FileFlows fits teams and home labs that want repeatable, automated processing for incoming files with a visual pipeline approach. It’s especially useful for media libraries where consistent encoding, structure, and automated handling reduce manual work.

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#4
ResourceSpace

ResourceSpace

ResourceSpace is an open-source digital asset management (DAM) system for storing, organizing, searching, and securely sharing files with metadata, permissions, and auditing.

ResourceSpace screenshot

ResourceSpace is an open-source digital asset management (DAM) platform for centralizing, organizing, and distributing digital files across teams. It focuses on metadata-driven search, controlled sharing, and governance features suited to organizations that need structured asset libraries.

Key Features

  • Centralized library for digital assets with metadata fields for structured cataloging
  • Advanced search and filtering to quickly find assets across large collections
  • Granular permissions and role-based access controls for secure collaboration
  • Audit trails and activity logging for governance and compliance workflows
  • Version control to manage updates and maintain asset history
  • Usage reporting and download logs to understand how assets are consumed
  • Integrations via plugins and an API, including support for single sign-on deployments

Use Cases

  • Managing brand, marketing, and communications assets across distributed teams
  • Building searchable archives for museums, cultural institutions, and publishers
  • Secure distribution of approved assets to internal stakeholders or external partners

Limitations and Considerations

  • Source distribution is maintained in Subversion; Git workflows typically use a git-svn bridge

ResourceSpace is a solid choice for teams needing a flexible DAM with strong permissions, auditing, and metadata-driven discovery. It fits well in environments where controlled access and structured asset governance are required.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running