Hello there.

First, I want to specify that I use Lychee-Docker and that’s the only experience I have with Lychee.

I’ve been using it for some time to share family pics with family members and it’s been great. However, with v5, I’ve noticed some issues that are making things a bit challenging. I appreciate some of the good ideas that came with the new update, but in my opinion, there are also quite a few bad decisions that have been made.

For example:

  • Can’t import photos / videos from server anymore. I sometimes used to drop files directly in a location of my server and then use the UI to import them. Convenient on mobile or with large number of files.

  • Can’t upload large files (LycheeOrg/Lychee#2207, LycheeOrg/Lychee#2129)

  • Can’t remove single / several photos from an album anymore. You need to delete the album and re-upload

  • Can’t obtain shorter link to a gallery anymore with the “share” button they removed a while back

  • The new “+” menu should have a background for legibility

  • There is a HUGE useless empty space at the top of galleries now

  • Had to tinker with config like adding TRUSTED_PROXIES=* to fix a thing and was told to keep it anyway but the reason why and how to properly do it are not documented

  • Had to temporarily fix my Nginx config but it seems like it has become a permanent fix, but it is not documented

But at the same time I LOVE these options for public albums:

  • Original: Anonymous users can behold full-resolution photos.

  • Hidden: Anonymous users need a direct link to access this album.

  • Downloadable: Anonymous users can download this album.

  • Password protected: Anonymous users need a shared password to access this album.

Actually, those 4 options are all I need. But I need the tool that provides them to work…

They said “the team is so slow that we don’t have anybody to review complex pull requests.” That makes me sad. I wish I had the time to learn how to code and help out, but I can’t. And even if I could, I’d probably end up building my own tool in the end.

I am not looking for a google photos replacement. Immich is great but that is not what I want to use.

I have tried several known alternatives but I’m curious to hear your thoughts on Lychee in its current state and if you have any suggestions for other tools that could serve a similar purpose.