ImgCompress

Every image format. Zero cloud.

Convert 70+ formats, compress in bulk, and remove backgrounds with local AI.
Everything runs inside your container, so your files never leave your server.

Website · Docs · Installation Guide · Docker Hub · Issues

ImgCompress is a self-hosted image processing server that runs entirely inside a single Docker container. It handles compression, format conversion, and AI-powered background removal, all locally on your own hardware. No cloud APIs, no third-party uploads, no tracking.

Built for people, homelab enthusiasts, and anyone who values privacy and owns their data.

Stop uploading personal or client photos to cloud-based removers. ImgCompress ships a bundled AI model that runs background removal on your own hardware. No API call, no subscription, no file ever leaves your server.

Original	Background Removed

Pull the image, open localhost:3001, start converting. About 60 seconds total.

docker run -d \
  --name imgcompress \
  -p 3001:5000 \
  karimz1/imgcompress:latest

For Docker Compose, environment variables, and deploying without the mascot, see the full installation guide.

I was tired of the "software loop." Every time I needed something simple, I had to install another app:

• PSD files: Needed specialized software just to convert them to an image file.
• HEIC files: Needed another converter for regular photo files.
• Image to PDF: Needed another app just to share a screenshot for work, since a PDF is often better for emails and easy for others to print.
• AI Backgrounds: I realized I needed one more app for that too.

I thought to myself: "Why can't one tool just do it all?" Plus, uploading personal photos to random online converters never felt right to me.

So I built a single toolbox that can take over 70 different formats and fix them all in one place. Whether you need to convert PSD or HEIC files to an image, turn a screenshot into a PDF for a work email, or shrink a massive 4K photo, this tool does it automatically.

The community has now pulled the image tens of thousands of times, which shows the pain is real.

I chose Docker because it keeps your computer clean. Instead of you having to install 70 different messy libraries on your system, I packed everything into one Ready-to-go Box that you can run anywhere called imgcompress. It just works.

ImgCompress is recognized by the self-hosted community and is part of curated lists and platforms that self-hosters already rely on:

• Awesome Self-Hosted : community-curated index of self-hosted software, listed alongside the tools self-hosters already run in production. Jump to the imgcompress entry.
• Coolify : open-source, self-hostable deployment platform. ImgCompress is available as an official Coolify service, so you can add it to your stack straight from the Coolify dashboard. Jump to the imgcompress entry.

Know another platform that features ImgCompress, or want to add it to one? Get in touch. Big thanks to the open-source community for getting ImgCompress noticed in the first place.

• Installation & Configuration: Docker setup, environment variables, reverse proxy examples
• Developer Guide: VS Code Dev Containers, architecture overview, local env setup
• imgcompress-chan (Bot): Custom helper bot that repairs Dependabot pnpm lockfiles and auto-merges dependency PRs
• E2E Testing with Playwright: How offline stability is verified across all 70+ formats
• Credits & Libraries: The open source projects that power ImgCompress
• Hall of Fame: Sponsors and contributors

Contributions are welcome: bug reports, format requests, or pull requests.

• Read the Contributing Guide before opening a PR
• Browse good-first-issue labels for a starting point
• Every change is verified by a Playwright E2E suite that covers all supported formats

Author: Karim Zouine
License: GPL-3.0
Docker Image: hub.docker.com/r/karimz1/imgcompress

If ImgCompress saves you time, a GitHub star helps others discover it.