I Migrated to NAS. Why?

I migrated all my photos to Synology NAS. If these questions intrigue you, keep reading:

• Where do you store your photos?

• Do you know how many images you have?

• How often do you revisit your entire collection?

• How much are you paying for cloud storage?

Most of us sync our photos to multiple cloud providers. They lure us in with free storage, then charge hefty fees as our collections grow. Their business model relies on:

1. Leveraging our data to train AI models and develop new tools.

2. Charging for storage.

Privacy is a primary concern - I don’t want my photos stored with someone else.

 My Concerns

• Privacy Risks: Cloud providers scan photos for metadata - faces, locations, timestamps. With this data, someone could map out my travel history.

• Duplicate Photos: Multiple services prompt me to sync photos, creating redundancy.

• Disorganization: Without proper management, photo collections become overwhelming.

• Limited Sharing Options: I want seamless access across devices (TV, laptop, mobile).

• Multiple Providers: A single provider is unreliable due to varying features and costs.

The Solution: Take Control of Your Photos

I configured Network Attached Storage (NAS) using a Synology DS923+, ensuring data redundancy and high availability. My photos are accessible within my home network and remotely - without recurring fees or third-party dependencies.

Geo-Redundancy for Backup

To mitigate risks, we can use the following two backup strategies:

• Cloud Backup: Back up my NAS to affordable cloud storage like AWS S3 Deep Glacier ($0.0036 per GB/month). I am using this.

• Physical Backup: Periodically copy encrypted backups onto external SSDs/HDDs and store them in a separate location.

I also declutter my collection by removing duplicates and keeping only meaningful photos. Currently with 31,000 pictures and looking at my growth rate, I expect to stay under 1TB for years, making cloud backup affordable (~$50 per TB per year).

Do you need NAS?

No! You can simply migrate your photos to an external SSD or HDD. But keep at least one replica and, if possible, a geo-redundant backup. With this setup, your images are secure, organized, and easily viewable - providing peace of mind and a better way to enjoy memories. No hefty cloud fees, no privacy concerns - just our photos, our way.

Technical Details:

• Written in Node.js, with a Synology Photo API wrapper that scans the photo repository and extracts metadata into a flattened structure.

• Storage-agnostic: Currently, it supports two sources: (1) Synology Photos and (2) File System, such as USB and HDD. However, it can easily be extended to support other cloud providers like Google and Amazon Photos.

• https://github.com/eyedia/EyedeeaPhotos