BoxRack

How to Self-Host Immich — Google Photos Without Google

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I gave Google Photos my entire photo library for about six years. Somewhere around 40,000 photos, dating back to 2011. Then Google changed their storage policy, the free tier got neutered, and I started paying $3/month for what used to be free. Not the end of the world, but it got me thinking: why am I renting access to my own memories?

That was two years ago. I’ve been running Immich ever since, and I genuinely haven’t looked back.

Proxmox vs ESXi: Which One Should You Actually Use?

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Let me save you some time: use Proxmox.

That’s the short answer. If you’re setting up a home lab hypervisor and you’re not specifically working toward a VMware certification, Proxmox is the better choice in almost every situation. I’ve run both, and the gap has only widened as VMware’s licensing has gotten worse.

But let’s actually break it down, because there are legitimate cases where ESXi makes sense.

Proxmox VE

Quick Comparison

Feature	Proxmox VE	VMware ESXi
Cost	Free (open source)	Free tier very limited; paid tiers expensive
VM support	Yes (KVM)	Yes
Container support	Yes (LXC)	No native containers
Web UI	Built-in, pretty good	Built-in, requires vCenter for full features
Backup solution	Built-in (Proxmox Backup Server)	Requires separate tools
Cluster support	Yes, built-in	Yes (vCenter, costs money)
Hardware support	Broad Linux support	Narrower HCL, older hardware support dropping
Community	Large, active	Large, but fragmented post-Broadcom

Why Proxmox Wins for Home Lab

It’s actually free. Not “free with a nag screen” or “free with crippled features” — fully functional open source software. The enterprise subscription gets you access to the stable update repo and commercial support, but the no-subscription repo works fine and gets updates too. For a home lab, you don’t need to spend anything.

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

About BoxRack

I’ve been self-hosting since 2019. Started with a Raspberry Pi running Pi-hole and a Plex server, which turned into a proper home server, which turned into way too much time on r/homelab.

This site is where I write about what I’ve learned — the hardware that’s worth buying, the software that actually works, and the mistakes I’ve made so you don’t have to.

What you’ll find here:

Step-by-step guides for self-hosting popular apps
Honest hardware comparisons (not just spec sheets)
Opinions from actually running this stuff day-to-day

No corporate sponsors. No fluff. If I recommend something, I either use it or I’ve tested it enough to trust it.