Tips, updates, and guides from the JellyWatch team.
One Docker Compose file. Four specialized media servers. Every type of content covered: movies and TV (Jellyfin), photos (Immich), comics and ebooks (Kavita), and music (Navidrome). This guide provides the complete stack with shared storage, unified reverse proxy, and monitoring. The definitive all-media self-hosted setup for 2026.
Four self-hosted photo platforms, four completely different philosophies. This in-depth comparison covers AI face detection, mobile auto-upload, RAW support, video handling, storage architecture, and which combination gives you the best Google Photos replacement in 2026.
Is self-hosting actually cheaper than paying for streaming services? This detailed financial analysis compares the 5-year total cost of a self-hosted media stack (Jellyfin + hardware + storage + electricity) against the combined cost of Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, YouTube Premium, and Google Photos. Includes hardware amortization, electricity costs, and the break-even point for different library sizes.
Poster Tools is a free browser-based design suite for creating custom posters, title cards, and showcase layouts for your Plex, Emby, or Jellyfin library. No Photoshop, no install, no design skills required. Poster Lab builds season sets with TMDB artwork and pushes directly to your server. Card Lab creates episode title cards with full typography control.
Jellyfin handles home videos and photo slideshows. Immich is a full Google Photos replacement with AI face detection, mobile auto-upload, and search by content. This comparison helps you decide which to use - or how to run both together pointing at the same files.
Replace Google Photos with Jellyfin for your family videos and photo slideshows. Learn how to organize home videos, create family-friendly libraries, and share memories privately.
