About Photo Album
A high-performance photo and video gallery powered by your cloud storage
TL;DR
- Your Media: Original photos and videos stay in your cloud storage - you maintain full ownership and control. We temporarily cache copies on our servers for fast display.
- Fast Loading: Progressive loading shows thumbnails instantly, then high-res images in parallel.
- Multi-Provider: Connect Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive - same great experience.
- Privacy First: Your originals stay in your cloud account. We temporarily cache processed copies on our servers for performance - your cloud storage remains the source of truth.
Link Your Own Photos & Videos
Ready to get started?
Create an account and connect your Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to see your gallery.
Try the demo - no account needed
How It Works: Cloud Storage Integration
Photo Album connects directly to your cloud storage provider. Your photos and videos remain in your account - we provide a beautiful, fast interface for viewing and organizing them.
Multiple Providers
Connect Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive. Switch providers anytime without losing your organization.
You Stay in Control
Your originals stay in your cloud account. We temporarily cache copies on our servers for fast display, accessed through secure OAuth - revoke access anytime.
Progressive Loading Pipeline
We optimize the loading experience so you see content immediately. Thumbnails appear first, followed by high-resolution images loading in parallel - all while enriching photos with GPS and metadata.
- 1
Request
Gallery structure and file list fetched from your cloud storage
- 2
Thumbnails
Small preview images load first for instant visual feedback
- 3
High-Res
Full quality images and video thumbnails load in parallel
- 4
Enriched
GPS coordinates and metadata extracted for maps and organization
Multi-Tier Caching for Performance
To deliver fast load times even for large photo collections, we use a sophisticated caching system. Frequently accessed content is served instantly from cache, with intelligent fallback to your cloud storage.
Memory Cache
Ultra-fast in-process storage for the most frequently accessed content. Sub-millisecond response times.
Redis Cache
Persistent cache shared across servers. Survives restarts and handles concurrent users efficiently.
Cloud Storage
The source of truth. All data flows from your cloud account, cached for performance.
Key Features
Photo & Video Support
Display photos and videos from your cloud storage with optimized playback and thumbnails.
GPS & Location Data
Automatic extraction of GPS coordinates from your photos for location-based organization.
Smart Organization
Automatic organization into galleries and collections with support for custom metadata.
Lightning Fast
Multi-tier caching and progressive loading ensure content appears instantly.
Secure Access
OAuth authentication with role-based permissions. Share galleries without sharing credentials.
Responsive Design
Beautiful viewing experience on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Technical Architecture
Frontend
- Next.js (App Router)
- React
- Tailwind CSS
- TypeScript
Backend
- Next.js API Routes
- NextAuth.js
- Zod Validation
- REST APIs
Data
- MySQL (Prisma)
- Redis Caching
- Memory Cache
Integrations
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
Privacy & Security
What We Do
- Photos and videos stay in your cloud storage - we never retain copies
- Use secure OAuth for cloud provider authentication
- Only cache thumbnails on our server for faster loading
- Support role-based access control for galleries
What We Don't Do
- Retain your original photos or videos - they stay in your cloud
- Share your data with third parties
- Access files without your OAuth permission
- Keep access after you disconnect your account
Getting Started
To begin using Photo Album, you need a cloud storage account with your photo collection organized in folders.