Self-hosted · Open Format · Synology NAS

Not a timeline.
A diary.

My Photo Diary is a personal photo journal for your Synology NAS. No cloud, no algorithms — just your photos and your words, in the order you choose.

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192.168.178.73:8088 — My Photo Diary
My Photo Diarywhere your memories stay yours.
Shared
T
admin
personal
1981 – Supetar
14 Fotos
shared
2005 – das Jahr
92 Fotos
shared
2007 – Mallorca
185 Fotos
shared
2008 – das Jahr
121 Fotos
shared
2018 – das Jahr
259 Fotos

What it does

Built for storytelling,
not for algorithms.

Narrative structure

Intersperse text blocks between photos in any order. Author-defined sequence — never algorithmic. Your story, your way.

Justified grid

Justified grid layout that flows naturally. No forced squares, no cropping. Every photo at its natural ratio in perfect rows.

Self-hosted on Synology

Runs on your NAS. Your photos stay on your hardware. Access via LAN or VPN — no cloud required, ever.

Open format — PDX

Photo Diary Exchange: plain JSON, human-readable, future-proof. Your albums are never locked to any app or service.

Lightbox with EXIF + GPS

Full-screen viewer with camera data, map via OpenStreetMap, slideshow and keyboard navigation.

Roles: admin / editor

Admin sees and edits everything. Editor manages their own personal albums — shared space is read-only for them.

Why we built this

"Every platform organizes your memories for you. My Photo Diary lets you do it yourself."

Google Photos, iCloud, Immich — they all have timelines, face recognition, and AI suggestions. They decide what matters and when you see it.

My Photo Diary does the opposite. You decide the order. You write the story. Your albums are a journal — not a feed.

No AI. No face recognition. No cloud. Just you and your photos, on your hardware, in your words.

Honest scope

What it is
and isn't.

My Photo Diary is

  • A personal photo diary with narrative text
  • Self-hosted on your Synology NAS
  • Author-defined order — you control the story
  • Open PDX format — your data, always readable
  • Private notes interspersed with your photos
  • Justified grid, EXIF, GPS, drag & drop editing

My Photo Diary is not

  • A photo backup or sync tool
  • A timeline or algorithmic feed
  • Face or object recognition
  • A search engine for your photos
  • A cloud service
  • Lightroom or photo editing
★ Paid Add-on

DiaryMemories —
Today, years ago.

Every morning your NAS checks which photos were taken on this exact day in previous years. A push notification arrives on your phone. You tap — and your memories appear.

Grouped by year in warm Polaroid style. Up to 5 random photos per year — different every time. Location shown below each photo via OpenStreetMap.

  • Daily push at 07:30 via ntfy (self-hosted, no Google)
  • Polaroid cards grouped by "X years ago"
  • Reverse geocoding — city shown under each photo
  • Android WebView app — no Play Store, no account
  • 100% self-hosted, no external services
📱 07:30 — Push notification
Heute vor 20 Jahren — 5 Erinnerungen 📷
17. März 2005 · Supetar, Kroatien
Vor 20 Jahren · 2005
Supetar, HR
Split, HR
Bol, HR
Vor 15 Jahren · 2010
Hamburg, DE
Lübeck, DE
Ahrensburg, DE

Where we are

Roadmap

Active development. Here's what's done and what's coming.

✓
Web viewer + editor

Justified grid, lightbox, EXIF, GPS, drag & drop, text blocks.

✓
Shared + Personal Space

Role-based access: admin and editor. Both spaces in one album list.

✓
PDX Spec v1.2

Open, stable, human-readable JSON format. No lock-in, ever.

→
Synology Package Center

One-click installation. No terminal required.

→
Android app

Browse and edit your diaries from your phone.

★
DiaryMemories Add-on

"Today, years ago" — daily push notifications with your memories in Polaroid style.

○
Docker image

For other NAS systems and home servers beyond Synology.

Stay informed

Be first
to know.

Leave your email and we'll notify you when My Photo Diary launches on the Synology Package Center.

No spam. One email at launch. That's it.