Ente
ente · Photos
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What is Ente?
Ente Photos keeps your photo library in the cloud while making sure only you can see it. Files are encrypted on your phone or computer before upload, so the service cannot view them. It still offers features people expect, such as face grouping, search and shared albums, and it can run on your own server.
Ente Photos is an end-to-end encrypted photo and video storage app and an alternative to Google Photos and Apple Photos. It offers on-device face detection and grouping, natural-language search, shared and collaborative albums, public links and background uploads. Apps run on Android, iOS, the web, Windows, macOS and Linux, and the server is in the same open-source repository.
Core capabilities
- Encrypts photos and videos on your device before they are uploaded.
- Groups faces on the device and finds photos with natural-language search.
- Runs on Android, iOS, the web, Windows, macOS and Linux.
End-to-end encrypted storage
Ente encrypts each file on your device before upload, so the server stores only encrypted data. The source code and cryptography have been audited externally by Cure53, Symbolic Software and Fallible. Apps are available for iOS, Android, F-Droid, the web, Windows, macOS and Linux, with a command-line tool for servers. The same account also works with Ente Auth, a free two-factor authentication app built from the same repository.
- Encryption
- Audited
- Cross-platform
- Mobile
Search, faces and sharing
Face detection and grouping run on the device, and natural-language search lets you find photos by describing them. Albums can be shared with other users, opened for collaboration, or published as public links for guests. Other features include hidden photos, smart albums, curated memories and legacy contacts. The desktop app imports Google Takeout exports and Apple Photos libraries.
- Face recognition
- Search
- Shared albums
- Import
Self-host it under AGPL-3.0
Self-hosting is supported. The server, called museum, ships as a Docker image, and a quickstart script sets it up with PostgreSQL and S3-compatible storage using Docker Compose. The docs ask for at least 1 GB of RAM and one CPU core. Mobile and desktop apps connect to your server through a hidden developer setting, and admins manage storage quotas with the Ente CLI. Ente is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and the hosted Ente service is a separate paid offering with 10 GB of free storage.
- Self-hosted
- Docker
- PostgreSQL
- S3
- AGPL-3.0
Where it fits
Use cases
- 01
Move your library off Google or Apple Photos
Install the Ente desktop app and import a Google Takeout export or your Apple Photos library. The mobile apps then keep uploading new photos in the background. Ente also supports export, so you can move your library elsewhere later.
- 02
Share albums privately with family and friends
Create an album and share it with other Ente users, or turn on collaboration so they can add their own photos. People without an account can view an album through a public link. Members can leave comments and likes on shared photos.
- 03
Host your own encrypted photo server
Run the official quickstart script, which sets up the museum server, PostgreSQL and S3-compatible object storage with Docker Compose. Point the mobile and desktop apps at your server from the developer settings on the start screen, then create an account there. Admins use the Ente CLI to change storage quotas for users on the instance.