Environment Variables Creating Duplicate Folders (Docker)

[twilit lynx]

I'm testing a new installation using docker/docker compose and a .env file on Ubuntu 24.04. Docker is working fine for my other 10+ containers.

I've configured my .env to change the locations of UPLOAD_LOCATION, THUMB_LOCATION, ENCODED_VIDEO_LOCATION, PROFILE_LOCATION, BACKUP_LOCATION & DB_DATA_LOCATION.

All paths are either locally mounted drives (ZFS) or a mounted network share (SMB) that is mounted via fstab and accessible. /data/docker is local, /data/media is mounted SMB.

As soon as I start the container, the files and folders are created both in the locations specified (thumb, profile, etc.) AND they are created in the location specified for UPLOAD_LOCATION. However, Immich seems to be using the folders in the correct locations.

I can delete everything, including the containers/images and start again, but the same thing happens.

I have also tried specifying the volume paths directly into the .yml file instead of using the variables, with the same results.

.env = https://pastebin.com/RiwzwNig
docker-compose.yml = https://pastebin.com/3JS1JE6A

Not sure what I'm missing. Thanks

[sacred geyser]

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[open anchor]

Are you sure they're not just mounted, what happens if you compose down?

[twilit lynx]

As in do the folders go away? No, when I shut down the container with compose down, it shuts down as expected and the folders remain

This is a screenshot of the location specified in UPLOAD_LOCATION:

This is a screenshot of the directory specified in THUMB_LOCATION, etc.:

[open anchor]

Curious curious... I wonder if it has something to do with the top folder being on SMB

You could try mounting only the two subfolders, library and upload? 🙂

So change

      - /data/media/testphotos:/usr/src/app/upload
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/thumbs:/usr/src/app/upload/thumbs
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/encoded-video:/usr/src/app/upload/encoded-video
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/profile:/usr/src/app/upload/profile
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/backups:/usr/src/app/upload/backups
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro

To

      - /data/media/testphotos/upload:/usr/src/app/upload/upload
      - /data/media/testphotos/library:/usr/src/app/upload/library
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/thumbs:/usr/src/app/upload/thumbs
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/encoded-video:/usr/src/app/upload/encoded-video
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/profile:/usr/src/app/upload/profile
      - /data/docker/docker_volumes/immich/backups:/usr/src/app/upload/backups
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro

[twilit lynx]

Ok, I'll give that a shot. Thanks

I think that may have done it.

But unveils another issue that I'm guessing can't be done

I wanted to have each user's uploads be under their own folder. For example, John currently has folders of pictures under his folder and Jane has folders of pictures under her folder. I wanted John's Immich uploads to be a subfolder under his folder, alongside his existing folders/pictures, and the same for Jane.

I thought this was possible with storage templates, but it looks like that path begins at the upload folder, correct?

[wheat rock]

Yeah, assets are always stored per user

[twilit lynx]

So if I make a storage template and then storage label for John called "Johns Pictures", it would actually put his uploads under the /testphotos/upload directory and create a new folder called Johns Pictures

[twilit lynx]

I found a way to make it work by making a new volume path that redirects the storage label folder to the desired folder inside John's personal folder

Thanks for your help!

[open anchor]

The storage templated uploads will be in /usr/src/app/upload/library/user-string

[vast bison]

Few things here. 1) docker making empty subfolders for mount points is totally normal, and not something to worry about. That’s how docker handles nested mounts
2) splitting library and upload like that is really not a good idea because now files have to be fully re written to disk for the storage template

It would be better to go back to how you had it. The empty folders aren’t hurting anyone

[wheat rock]

1

I had no idea it did that lol

[twilit lynx]

Thanks. What do you mean by they have to be fully re written? Do you mean when a photo is uploaded, it first writes to an area of the disk, then written a second time when it renames due to the storage template?

The empty folders are messy and causes confusion/complication, which drastically impacts WAF. We have a NAS with mapped drives (her P: Drive), so she accesses the NAS directly to view/access her photos that are not from her phone. For example, lightroom dumps all of her photos into her "Janes Pictures" folder mapped as P:. Photoshop uses the same file structure. So I need Immich to put her phone pictures into a folder beneath "Janes Pictures" and called something like "Phone Pictures". That way she can go to the parent folder "Janes Pictures" and have access to all of her pictures in one location.

I put a volume in the docker-compose.yml like this:
"/data/media/testphotos/Janes Pictures/Phone Backup:/usr/src/app/upload/library/jane"

And I gave her a storage label called "jane"

[vast bison]

Yes. Separate mount points will require a full disk level rewrite when files are moved from upload to library

[twilit lynx]

Ok. I was curious as to what the difference was between the two directories. So initial upload goes to Upload and is then moved to Library?

[vast bison]

Yes, if storage template is enabled

[twilit lynx]

Ahh. So if they are the same, then it just renames them rather than re-writes

[vast bison]

Its not a huge deal but good to know

[twilit lynx]

Maybe I could put my Upload directory on an internal ssd drive then and it would immediately move them to my NAS in the Library directory

[vast bison]

If youre doing split mounts, theres no good reason to use a HDD for upload/