Image and video conversion via external api

[GitTworn]

I have searched the existing feature requests to make sure this is not a duplicate request.

• Yes

The feature

Describe what problem this solves and why this would be valuable to many users
Currently, Immich performs all image and video conversions locally, which can be very resource-intensive—especially when dealing with large video files via FFmpeg. For users running Immich on limited hardware (e.g., small servers, NAS devices, or Raspberry Pi-like environments), these conversions can significantly degrade performance or become infeasible. Allowing an external service like Cloudinary to handle heavy processing would free up local resources and improve overall performance and reliability for many users.

Describe the solution you’d like
I would like to see an optional configuration within Immich to offload image and video processing to an external service such as Cloudinary. This would involve:
1. A settings page (or config file entry) where users can enable/disable the external service integration.
2. The ability to configure API keys, endpoints, and preferences (e.g., conversion formats, resolution, compression) for Cloudinary (or potentially other external services).
3. When enabled, Immich would upload the original media to the external service for conversion. Once processed, Immich would download the resulting file(s) or receive them via callback/webhook.
4. Seamless integration so that from the user perspective, the process does not differ from the current local conversion workflow.

Describe alternatives you’ve considered
• Continuing to use local FFmpeg conversions: This is the default approach but can be very resource-intensive.
• Setting up a separate self-managed server/FFmpeg cluster: This still requires additional infrastructure and maintenance on the user’s side, which can be complex.
• Using other hosted transformation services: Cloudinary is one example, but enabling a pluggable system could open the door to other services (e.g., Imgix, Uploadcare).

Additional context
• Many users run Immich on Docker environments with limited CPU and memory. Offloading processing to an external service can save costs and reduce headaches.
• Cloudinary (and similar services) offer efficient media transformations, caching, and other optimizations that could benefit Immich’s overall performance and user experience.
• A modular, pluggable architecture for media processing could benefit advanced users while still allowing existing users to rely on local processing by default.

Platform

• Server
• Web
• Mobile

[mmomjian]

Sir/maam, this is Immich

[GitTworn]

Changed it. Posted also to photoprism. I'm testing both. Immich is much nicer and better but still have the same problem. When importing thousands of images my machine is completely maxed out.

[mmomjian]

We already support split workers, you can deploy the microservices worker and machine-learning containers wherever you want.