Fundf

Minimal self-hosted photo viewer for sharing full-resolution images privately with friends and family.

Fundf album overview with private gallery cards and album metadata.
Album overview as the main entry point: private album, direct image access, and no surrounding social layer.

Overview

Fundf is a private self-hosted photo viewer built for sharing full-resolution images with friends and family without accounts, feeds, or platform overhead. The system is intentionally narrow: album link plus PIN, quiet viewing, direct media delivery, and infrastructure that stays understandable to operate.

Interface

Album overview page showing private album information and image thumbnails.
Album overviewA private album page with direct browsing, full-resolution intent, and no public feed mechanics.
PIN access screen for a private album.
PIN accessAlbums are opened through a simple PIN gate instead of persistent user accounts.
Desktop lightbox viewer with slideshow and download controls.
Lightbox viewerThe viewer keeps controls close to the image: navigation, slideshow, and direct download without extra interface noise.
Mobile gallery view of the Fundf album interface.
Mobile gallery viewThe mobile layout keeps browsing calm and readable while preserving the same reduced interaction model.

Selected Technical Decisions

No accounts

Access is album-scoped, not user-scoped. That removes account recovery, role state, and profile management that the project does not need.

PIN plus signed cookie

Each album uses a public_id and PIN. After entry, the server sets a signed fundf_album_access cookie and validates it on every media request.

404 instead of 403

Media endpoints hide existence when access is missing. Returning 404 avoids leaking which images are actually present.

Derivative formats

Images are stored locally and served through derivatives for browsing speed: JPEG thumbnails, WebP, and optional AVIF selected through content negotiation.

Plain deployment

The stack stays simple: PHP, nginx, filesystem storage, and release plus symlink deployment for predictable rollbacks.

Status

Fundf runs in production with PIN-protected albums, signed access cookies, media streaming, derivative image handling, and a reduced viewer designed for private use.

The scope stays deliberately narrow: private distribution, image quality, and straightforward operation instead of broader product features.