Best Self-hosted Alternatives to GIPHY

Pellicola is an easy-to-use PHP web app for instant photo publishing. It runs on a PHP-enabled web server and supports uploading photos into albums, displays basic EXIF data, and can show locations on a map via OpenStreetMap.

Key Features

• Simple deployment: Pellicola requires no installation, and it can be deployed on any web server with PHP.
• Instant publishing: Upload photos and Pellicola handles indexing and presentation.
• Responsive design: Pellicola works well on mobile devices.
• Pagination: Automatically splits photo collections into pages with configurable photos per page.
• Basic EXIF data: Displays aperture, focal length, shutter speed, and ISO for photos.
• Map support: If enabled, shows geotagged photos on a map with OpenStreetMap links or geo URIs.
• Descriptions: Optional album descriptions (preamble.html) and per-photo descriptions (txt files or UserComment EXIF data).
• Language + RSS: Automatic language detection and an RSS feed for new photos.
• Self-contained & GDPR-compatible: No external data collection.

Use Cases

• Personal photo galleries and family travel albums published on a self-hosted site.
• Event galleries with geolocation context for audiences or attendees.
• Small collections or community projects requiring simple album organization and search.

Limitations and Considerations

• See the repository README for deployment requirements and server considerations (PHP7+, GD/EXIF libraries).

Conclusion

Pellicola provides a lightweight, self-hosted solution for publishing photo collections with basic metadata, optional maps, and per-album organization, all powered by PHP with no external dependencies.