PiGallery2 Photo Gallery AMI - Managed by cloudimg

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

PiGallery2 is a fast, self-hosted, directory-first photo gallery and management server. Point it at a folder of photos and videos and it serves a modern browser gallery that preserves your directory structure, generates thumbnails, reads EXIF metadata, and adds search, maps, face grouping, and secure sharing. Browse and share a personal or team photo library from any device - without handing your photos to a third-party cloud.

This AMI delivers PiGallery2 fully installed and hardened so a working gallery is operational within minutes of launch. No manual package installation, no Node.js version management, and no service configuration required. A small set of sample photos is included so the gallery is populated the moment you sign in; replace them with your own photos in the gallery folder documented in the deployment guide.

Deploying PiGallery2 yourself - whether via the official Docker image or a manual Node.js install - still requires you to configure TLS termination, set up persistent storage, harden the default administrator account, and manage ongoing upgrades. This AMI eliminates that operational burden:

• TLS from first boot: nginx terminates HTTPS on port 443 with a self-signed certificate regenerated per instance; no manual certificate setup needed to start securely.
• No shared default credentials: The stock PiGallery2 deployment creates a well-known default admin account. This image generates a unique administrator password on every first boot, stored only as a salted one-way hash.
• Dedicated data volume: Photos, thumbnail cache, and SQLite index live on an independently resizable EBS volume separate from the OS disk.
• Included support: 24/7 cloudimg engineers handle upgrades, TLS with real domains, and troubleshooting.

Unlike a bare PiGallery2 deployment that ships a well-known default administrator, this image turns authentication on and generates a unique credential on each instance's first boot. Only a salted one-way hash of the password is written to the configuration, while the plain password is placed in a root-only file for the administrator to retrieve. No two deployments share a login and there is no open gallery to discover.

• PiGallery2 - Node.js photo gallery server, bound to the loopback interface only
• nginx - reverse proxy terminating TLS on port 443; port 80 redirects to HTTPS
• ffmpeg - installed so video thumbnails work out of the box
• SQLite - index and thumbnail cache on a dedicated data volume
• Runs as an unprivileged system user under systemd for automatic restarts and clean logging

1. Launch the AMI on an m5.large or larger and open ports 80 and 443 in your security group
2. SSH into the instance and read the generated admin login: sudo cat /root/pigallery2-credentials.txt
3. Open your browser to https:/// and accept the self-signed certificate
4. Sign in with the administrator username and password from the credentials file
5. Add your own photos to /var/lib/pigallery2/images on the data volume, then browse the gallery to index them
6. Follow the deployment guide to point a domain, install a CA-signed certificate, and configure sharing

Every deployment is backed by cloudimg engineers available around the clock via email and live chat. Support covers initial deployment and instance sizing guidance, TLS termination with a real domain and certificate, adding and organizing photo libraries, PiGallery2 upgrades, and general troubleshooting. Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.

This AMI uses standard AWS pay-as-you-go infrastructure billing. Launch an instance to evaluate the gallery and terminate at any time with no long-term commitment.

PiGallery2 is a trademark of its respective owner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.