# Pixelfed

A photo social network you host. Pixelfed is AGPL-3.0 — Instagram without the hosted feed seat.

**Replaces:** Instagram

**Tier:** Medium

## Problem

Instagram is a hosted photo social graph. You wanted posts, follows, and stories on a box you run. Pixelfed is AGPL-3.0 (pixelfed/pixelfed; last push 24 Oct 2026). Immich is the camera-roll backup — already on /replace/google-photos and /replace/flickr — not an Instagram feed. Lychee is a gallery, not a social network. This is not Instagram's every Reels, Shop, or ads SKU. A Flickr-shaped library stays on /replace/flickr.

## Stack

- [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.org) — AGPL-3.0 federated photo social network — the published Instagram path

## Estimated SaaS cost saved

| You stop paying | Typical / year | Self-host instead |
|---|---:|---|
| Instagram / hosted photo social (small team) | $1,200 | Pixelfed + media volume |

**About $1,200 / year** on a small team, before you count lock-in.

## Deploy on Railway

Placeholder: Pixelfed (Laravel + Redis + a database) plus a volume for media. Federation wants a public hostname. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. A camera-roll timeline stays on /stacks/immich-photos.

[Start on Railway](https://c17.io/go/railway/pixelfed-social?from=%2Fstacks%2Fpixelfed-social.md)

[Immich if this is a camera-roll backup, not a social feed](https://c17.io/stacks/immich-photos)

## AGENT_PROMPT

```
Replace Instagram with Pixelfed (https://pixelfed.org).

- Official docs. Persist the database and media volume. Create one account and one post. Do not claim Reels, Shop, or ads.
- Immich if the job is a camera-roll backup — /stacks/immich-photos. A public image dump stays on /stacks/lychee-images.
- Write AGENT_PROMPT.md.
```

## FAQ

### Pixelfed or Immich?

Pixelfed if the product is a federated feed (the published Instagram path). Immich if the product is a timeline you back up — /replace/google-photos. They are different jobs.

### Is this Flickr?

No. Flickr-shaped libraries stay on /replace/flickr (Immich). This page is a social feed.

### Are these free?

Pixelfed is AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting and storage. Template users never pay c17.

Source: https://c17.io/stacks/pixelfed-social