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Browser Compatibility

PhotoPrism ships a single-page app that targets evergreen browsers. The loader script at assets/static/js/browser-check.js (rendered through assets/templates/index.gohtml) blocks unsupported clients before Vue boots, so keep this page aligned with the logic in that script.

Supported Platforms

  • Chrome, Edge, and Firefox: latest stable versions on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Safari 13+ on macOS and iOS 13+ (the splash screen warns older iOS devices)
  • Chromium-based mobile browsers that ship with modern ES2019 features

Internet Explorer is not supported. Legacy Android WebView builds without ES modules or Fetch support will hit the browser-check warning.

When introducing APIs that may not exist on the minimum baseline (for example AbortController on Safari 13), add a capability check or a lightweight polyfill under assets/static/js/browser-check.js.

Features With a Higher Baseline

Interactive maps need a WebGL 2 context, which is above the baseline the loader script enforces. That check therefore does not belong in browser-check.js: blocking the whole app would deny photo browsing to a client that can do everything except render a map. It is made at render time by supportsWebGL2() in frontend/src/common/map.js, and the map views show a map-unavailable message when it fails, leaving browsing, location information, and non-map location editing usable. See Rendering Interactive Maps for the rendering stack.

Follow the same pattern for any other feature whose requirement exceeds the baseline: check the capability where the feature is used and degrade that feature, rather than raising the bar for the whole app.

Testing

  • Run the Vitest unit suite (make vitest-watch) on every UI change.
  • Use the “Devices” tab in Chrome DevTools or Safari’s Responsive Design Mode to spot layout regressions on phones and tablets.
  • BrowserStack remains free for open-source projects and is the easiest way to test on edge versions of Safari, iOS, and legacy Android without owning physical devices.
  • Capture baseline screenshots for new layouts via the Playwright workflows documented in AGENTS.md so we can diff rendering changes over time.