How much RAM does Immich need?
Self-hosted photo and video backup. Official requirements, sourced, plus our own measurements.
Our measurement
1226 MB idle RAM · 3492 MB disk (images 3161 + data 331) · server 643 MB, postgres 384 MB, machine-learning 194 MB, valkey 5 MB
ML models are not downloaded until first use, so disk grows after real use.
Method: Official compose file, default settings, no data imported, no setup wizard completed. Measured after a 5-minute settle as the sum of docker stats MEM USAGE across all containers, 3 samples 20 s apart (median). Disk = pulled image sizes + named volumes + bind-mounted data dirs.
Host: 8 vCPU Intel Xeon VM, 16 GB RAM, Debian 13 (kernel 6.12), Docker 26.1.5 + Compose 2.26.1
Version: release tag (latest) from official docker-compose.yml · Compose: source · Date: 2026-10-21
What the official docs say
- 4GB RAM systems can run Immich only with machine learning disabled.
- Postgres database files are typically 1-3 GB; use local SSD, never a network share.
- Thumbnails and transcoded video add 10-20% to library size on average.
- Requires Docker with the Docker Compose plugin; amd64 or arm64.
Fits a 4GB server?
conditionalOnly with machine learning disabled (per official docs).
Sources
- Immich docs: Requirements checked 2026-10-21