> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kombify.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Family Photo Vault > Run your family's own photo cloud with Immich on a kombify StackKit A Family Photo Vault is Immich running on your own StackKit: your family's photos, searchable and shared, without handing them to someone else's cloud. ## Why your own photo vault Every photo your phone takes normally ends up on someone else's servers, under someone else's storage limits and someone else's terms. A Family Photo Vault flips that around: Immich runs on hardware you own, or on a server you lease and control, so the storage behind your photos is yours — not a shared, multi-tenant photo service. There's no per-photo cloud subscription creeping up as your library grows. You pay for the compute and storage you already have, or a fixed server lease — not a recurring per-gigabyte photo bill. ## What you get * **Immich** at `photos.` — a kombify.me address if you're on managed cloud, or `photos.home.localhost` if you're running the local Basement Kit (listed in this catalog as Base Kit) on your own hardware. * **Mobile backup apps** for iOS and Android that upload new photos and videos automatically. * **ML-powered search** — find photos by what's in them, not just by folder or date. * **Shared family albums** so everyone adds to and sees the same library instead of five separate camera rolls. Photo and video libraries grow faster than most other homelab data, especially once the whole family backs up full-resolution originals. Check [sizing your StackKit](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/sizing-your-stackkit) before you commit to a server or storage tier. ## The lifecycle at a glance | Phase | What happens | Where you do it | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | Decide | Pick local, managed cloud, or hybrid, and pick a kit | This site's how-to guides, kombify-TechStack dashboard | | Set up | Roll out the kit, claim your owner passkey, open Immich | TechStack dashboard or CLI, then Node Hub | | Live with it | Back up photos, search, browse, share albums | Immich app and mobile app | | Protect | Keep the stack's backups covering your photo storage | Node Hub, your stack spec | | Move or leave | Switch exposure, pause, or remove the service | Node Hub, your PaaS dashboard | ## Choose your setup Two decisions shape this before you deploy anything: * **Where it runs.** Local hardware keeps everything on a machine you own, reachable on your LAN by default. A managed VPS lease through kombify Cloud gets you a public address without touching a server yourself. See [local vs. cloud vs. hybrid](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/local-vs-cloud-vs-hybrid). * **How hands-on you stay afterward.** Install-only gives you a working baseline you operate yourself from the CLI. Managed with kombify Cloud keeps recommendations, status, and future changes visible in a dashboard. See [install only or managed with kombify Cloud](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/install-only-vs-managed-cloud). Not sure which kit fits at all? Start with [choosing a kit](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/choosing-a-kit). ## Set it up Roll out through [the installer, CLI, or kombify-TechStack](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/deploy-with-cli-or-techstack). Photos (Immich) is part of the default rollout — you don't need to enable anything extra. Open the [Node Hub](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/node-hub) at `base.` and complete the first-run checklist. Rollout creates your PocketID owner record and prepares the matching Immich owner account for you automatically. You finish by claiming the one-time passkey link from the Node Hub — there's no separate Immich sign-up form to fill in. ## Bring the family in Add each family member as an Immich user from the admin panel. Each person installs the Immich mobile app and signs in with their account. See the [Immich guide](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/services/immich) for the mobile connect steps. Set up shared albums so everyone contributes to and sees the same family library. ## Everyday use and getting help Most day-to-day questions have an answer close by: * This docs site covers the surrounding how-tos beyond this lifecycle guide. * The [Immich service guide](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/services/immich) covers the app itself — first-run setup, mobile backup, troubleshooting. * The [monitoring reference](https://docs.kombify.io/stackkits/reference/monitoring) explains how StackKits watches your services, including Immich's route and background jobs, so you notice a stalled backup before your photos do. ## Local-only or public A Family Photo Vault can be reachable from anywhere or stay inside your home network — the choice comes from how you set up domain and context, not from a separate Immich setting. * **Public**: a kombify.me address or your own custom domain puts `photos.` on the open internet behind Traefik, TinyAuth, and PocketID login, so family members can back up and browse from mobile data, not just Wi-Fi. * **Local-only**: on a local Basement Kit without a public domain, Immich only answers on your LAN at `photos.home.localhost` (or the server IP) — nobody outside your network can reach it, but neither can you when you're away from home. See [local vs. cloud vs. hybrid](https://docs.kombify.io/guides/stackkits/local-vs-cloud-vs-hybrid) if you're still deciding between these. ## Next steps First-run setup, mobile backup, and troubleshooting for the app itself. Compare Base Kit, Modern Homelab, and High Availability Kit.