Where Does Self-Hosted Piwigo Store Photos and Data?
Self-hosted Piwigo splits data three ways: originals in galleries, generated files in _data, and everything else in MySQL.
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Piwigo spreads itself across the install tree and the database. Original photos sit in galleries, thumbnails and derivatives accumulate in _data, and albums, users and tags live in MySQL. A file backup alone restores pictures without any organization.
Config hides in local/config. The database credentials there plus a MySQL dump complete the set. Upgrades only touch code, so keeping those three pieces current makes version jumps boring.
Where Piwigo stores this, by platform
/var/www/html/piwigo/galleries
Original uploads, adjustable to any path in settings. Generated derivatives sit in _data beside it, and connection details in local/config/database.inc.php. Back up galleries plus a database dump together.
Frequently asked questions
how do i back up self-hosted piwigo
Copy the galleries directory and the local/config folder, then dump MySQL with mysqldump. All three are needed: files, credentials, and the catalog that ties them together.
can i move the piwigo galleries folder
Yes. Move the directory and update the galleries path in administration settings. The _data derivatives rebuild themselves, but the originals must be exactly where the database expects.
where are piwigo plugins and themes stored
In plugins and themes folders inside the install tree. They ride along with code backups, though premium license keys may need re-entering after a move.
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