Open-Source CMS · Piwigo

Piwigo

Piwigo is a self-hosted, open-source photo gallery application written in PHP that lets individuals, teams, and organizations manage and share their photo libraries on their own servers. It requires a web server, PHP 7.4+, MySQL/MariaDB, and supports a plugin/theme ecosystem with 200+ community extensions.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/Piwigo/Piwigo

3.8k

GitHub stars

480

Forks

PHP

Primary language

GPL-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	Piwigo/Piwigo
Owner	Piwigo
Primary language	PHP
License	GPL-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	3.8k
Forks	480
Open issues	745
Latest release	16.4.0 (2026-05-03)
Last updated	2026-07-07
Source	https://github.com/Piwigo/Piwigo

What Piwigo is

PHP-based CMS with a traditional LAMP/LEMP stack dependency (Apache/nginx, PHP 7.4+, MySQL 5+/MariaDB). Uses ImageMagick or GD for image processing. Active development (latest release 16.4.0 in May 2026, last push July 2026) with 3,814 GitHub stars and a community-driven contribution model.

Quickstart

Get the Piwigo source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/Piwigo/Piwigo.git2cd Piwigo3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Self-Hosted Photo Library Management

Organizations or individuals needing full control over photo storage and metadata. Suitable for teams requiring on-premises or private cloud deployment where data sovereignty is critical.

Privacy-Focused Photo Sharing

Communities and groups preferring self-hosted solutions over commercial platforms. Privacy topic in repository tags suggests alignment with privacy-conscious deployments.

Extensible Gallery Solution

Projects requiring plugin/theme customization. The 200+ community extensions ecosystem enables tailored workflows without forking core code.

Implementation considerations

PHP 7.0–7.3 are end-of-life; use PHP 7.4+ to avoid security exposure. ImageMagick is recommended over GD for image quality.
Database schema and initialization occur during web-based setup (NetInstall or manual install). Plan for staging environment testing before production deployment.
745 open GitHub issues indicate active development and known gaps. Prioritize issue/PR review to assess impact on your use case.
Plugin/theme ecosystem (200+) extends core functionality but introduces supply-chain and compatibility risk. Vet third-party extensions for security and maintenance status.
No built-in multi-tenancy or role-based access control (RBAC) details provided. Verify plugin ecosystem or custom code for advanced permission models.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Turnkey SaaS Requirement — If your team lacks server administration expertise or wants zero operational overhead, use piwigo.com (official hosted solution) rather than self-hosting. Self-deployment and maintenance are required.
Enterprise Single Sign-On / Advanced Auth — No clear evidence of LDAP, OIDC, or SAML support in the provided data. If centralized identity management is mandatory, requires custom development or plugin review.
High-Volume Media Processing — Designed for traditional photo galleries, not large-scale video or real-time streaming. Performance at scale (millions of images) is unknown from provided data.
Proprietary/Restricted Distribution — GPL v2 requires derivative works to remain open-source and freely distributable. Closed-source commercial software incorporating Piwigo must comply with GPL terms or obtain a different license.

License & commercial use

GPL v2 (GNU General Public License v2.0). Source code must remain open and freely distributable. Modifications or derivative works are subject to the same license terms.

Commercial use of Piwigo itself (as a photo gallery for business) is permissible under GPL v2. However, any proprietary modifications, derivative software, or bundled products must comply with GPL v2 copyleft terms—all source must be disclosed and remain freely available. Reselling or embedding without source disclosure violates the license. If commercial use includes derivative code, obtain legal review of GPL v2 compliance. Official piwigo.com hosting is the recommended path for managed commercial deployments.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Moderate
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

PHP application exposed to web; standard web security hygiene applies (keep PHP, MySQL, OS patched). GPL v2 source is public—no security through obscurity. No explicit mention of input validation, CSRF protection, SQL injection mitigations, or vulnerability disclosure process in provided data. Review security advisories on piwigo.org and GitHub security tab before deployment. End-of-life PHP versions (7.0–7.3) must be avoided to prevent known vulnerabilities.

Alternatives to consider

Nextcloud Photos

Self-hosted, covers photo management + broader file sync/collaboration. More enterprise-ready but heavier resource footprint.

LibrePhotos

Lighter-weight self-hosted photo organizer with ML features. Smaller ecosystem but lower operational complexity.

Immich

Modern self-hosted photo backup/gallery with cloud sync. Active development, but younger project with smaller ecosystem.

Software development agency

Build on Piwigo with DEV.co software developers

Evaluate Piwigo's fit for your photo management needs. Our web and DevOps teams can help with deployment, customization, and ongoing infrastructure support.

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Piwigo FAQ

Can I use Piwigo in a commercial product or SaaS?

Direct use of Piwigo as a gallery in your business is permitted. Bundling or modifying Piwigo code for resale requires GPL v2 compliance—all source must be open and freely available. Consult a lawyer if you plan to embed or fork Piwigo code without open-sourcing derivatives.

What hosting options do I have?

Self-host on any server with Apache/nginx, PHP 7.4+, and MySQL/MariaDB (requires sysadmin skills). Alternatively, use piwigo.com for managed hosting without operational overhead.

How mature is the plugin ecosystem?

200+ plugins and themes exist, but maturity and maintenance status vary. Security and compatibility depend on individual plugin authors. No central vetting process documented.

Is Piwigo suitable for enterprise teams?

Possible, but verify advanced features (LDAP/SSO, advanced RBAC, audit logging, backup/DR) via plugin review or custom development. Out-of-the-box suitability for large enterprises is not evident from provided data.

Custom software development services

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If Piwigo is part of your open-source cms roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to Deploy Piwigo?

Evaluate Piwigo's fit for your photo management needs. Our web and DevOps teams can help with deployment, customization, and ongoing infrastructure support.

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