Directory Overview
The following is an overview of the most important files and folders used by PhotoPrism:
Originals¶
Your original photo and video media files are stored in the originals folder. If read-only mode is disabled, new files can be added using the web upload dialog, the import functionality, or by mounting the folder via WebDAV. PhotoPrism will generally not move, rename, or otherwise modify the files in this folder unless a user requests it. The path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_ORIGINALS_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Storage¶
Unless you have a custom configuration, the storage folder is used to read and write config, cache, backup, thumbnail, and sidecar files. We recommend not to configure the storage folder to be inside the originals folder unless the name starts with a . to indicate that it is hidden. The path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_STORAGE_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Cache¶
This folder contains the subdirectories json and thumbnails for storing ExifTool JSON files and thumbnail images. The path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_CACHE_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
JSON¶
Unless you have disabled ExifTool in Settings > Advanced, it may used to create JSON files with the metadata of a file in this directory e.g. when indexing or importing new files.
Thumbnails¶
PhotoPrism creates thumbnails in different sizes for each photo. Those are stored in the thumbnails directory.
More information on thumbnails can be found here.
Sidecar¶
The sidecar folder contains YAML backup files for each picture as well as e.g. automatically generated JPEG versions of RAW images. Both can be configured in Settings > Advanced. The path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_SIDECAR_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Config¶
The config folder contains configuration files and certificates. Its path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_CONFIG_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Backup¶
The backup folder contains database dumps as well as album backup files and is located in the storage folder by default. Its path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_BACKUP_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Import¶
The import feature lets you transfer files from the import folder to the originals folder. Duplicates are automatically skipped, and the imported files are given unique file paths based on their content and metadata. The base path of the import directory can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_IMPORT_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Database¶
If you are using MariaDB or another dedicated database server instead of SQLite, they will store their data in a separate database folder whose location depends on your configuration, e.g. in the mariadb service section of your compose.yaml file.
Temp¶
Uploads, downloads, and other temporary files may be created in the temp folder. The path can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_TEMP_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.
Assets¶
The assets folder contains static resources such as machine learning models, icons, and templates. It can be changed using the environment variable PHOTOPRISM_ASSETS_PATH, the corresponding CLI flag, or a YAML configuration file.