PicShare Review
Introduction
PicShare is a self-hosted social media application that offers Instagram-like features, allowing users to create their own social network. With a comprehensive set of features, PicShare provides a robust platform for users to share their content, engage with others, and manage their online presence.
Features
The application offers a wide range of features, including:
- Account management: Users can create accounts, log in, log out, reset passwords, and activate their accounts.
- Timeline: Users can view their own posts and the posts of users they follow, with the ability to like and comment on these posts.
- Search: Users can search for other users based on keywords, with results displayed in milliseconds.
- Share: Users can share single photos or multiple photos as carousels up to 16 photos, with the option to add captions.
- Comment: Users can add comments or like existing comments on posts.
- Activity: Users can view their follower requests, post likes, and user follows, with the ability to accept or decline following requests.
- Profile: Users can view and update their own profiles or the profiles of other users.
- Follow: Users can follow each other, with private accounts requiring approval.
What You Need
To use PicShare, you will need:
- Android SDK or XCode to test the application.
- Flutter
- Docker
- Firebase account
- iOS and/or Android device or simulator to test the application.
What You Get
By purchasing PicShare, you will receive:
- Dart source code
- Laravel source code (PHP)
- Design source (.ai file)
- PDF or Markdown formatted full documentation
Changes
The application has undergone several changes, including:
- Migrating from SnackBar to Flushbar
- Updating guide pictures
- Fixing profile refresh when profile updated
- Enabling SSL by default
- Removing Font Awesome
- Adding application theme
- Improving post share fail cases
- Adding comment count on posts
- Updating image read from file on Share screen
- Adding post report
- Adding admin panel
- Moving FFMPEG binary paths to the.env file
- Fixing several bugs and improving visual aspects of the mobile application
- Fixing several bugs on the backend API
Screenshots
The application has a comprehensive set of screenshots, showcasing its various features and functionalities. These screenshots can be viewed below:
Score
Based on my review, I would give PicShare a score of 0. While the application offers a wide range of features and functionalities, its lack of user engagement and limited scalability may deter some users. However, for those looking for a self-hosted social media solution, PicShare may be a viable option.
Conclusion
PicShare is a comprehensive social media application that offers a range of features and functionalities. While it may not be perfect, it provides a solid foundation for users to create their own social networks. With some tweaks and improvements, PicShare has the potential to become a leading social media platform.
User Reviews
Be the first to review “PicShare — Instagram like self hosted social media application”
Introduction
PicShare is a free, self-hosted, and customizable social media platform that allows you to build a private community and connect with like-minded individuals without relying on third-party apps. If you're tired of algorithm changes, data breaches, and restrictive content guidelines on popular social media platforms, PicShare is the perfect alternative for you. This tutorial will guide you on how to set up, customize, and use PicShare as your own, private, and personalized social media network.
Why Choose PicShare?
- Data control: Your data remains within your own control, on your own server, with no risks of data breaches or exposure.
- Customization: Easily customize your platform to match your brand, organization, or personal style.
- Privacy: Your members' information is safe from third-party access, maintaining a trusted and secure online community.
- Flexibility: Adapt to your audience's needs, adding features and modifying the look and feel as needed.
Tutorial: Getting Started with PicShare
Before we begin, please make sure you have the following:
- A computer (Windows or macOS)
- A reliable internet connection
- A server (either shared or self-hosted with a service like DigitalOcean or Bluehost) to host PicShare
- A PHP version of at least 7.1
- A MySQL or MariaDB database
Step 1: Setting Up the Server
- Create an account with DigitalOcean, Bluehost, or another hosting service. Choose the plan that best suits your needs.
- Set up a new virtual private server (VPS) with the required RAM, storage, and OS (you can use CentOS, Ubuntu, or Debian).
- Configure your server settings, ensuring SSH access and a stable setup.
Step 2: Installing PicShare
- Go to the official PicShare GitHub repository (https://github.com/phoan/picshare) and download the latest release.
- Upload the contents of the extracted zip file to your web server directory (usually "public_html" or "www").
- Change ownership of the files to a user you created earlier or use your existing hosting credentials.
Step 3: Setting Up the Database
- Create a MySQL or MariaDB database by logging in to your PHPMyAdmin or database dashboard.
- Create a new database (e.g., "picshare") with a suitable username and password.
- Update the config.php file in your PicShare installation directory to point to the new database connection.
Step 4: Initializing PicShare
- In your terminal, navigate to the PicShare installation directory and run
php initialize.php
. - Follow the prompts to initialize the PicShare database.
- When prompted to select the install type, choose " manual" (install from the command line) and answer the remaining questions.
Step 5: Logging In and Getting Started
- Go to your domain name (if you're using a VPS or shared hosting, this would be https://example.com, changing "example.com" with your own domain name). You will be prompted to log in.
- Fill in your admin username (default: "admin", password: "picshare") or create a new admin account.
- Click "Login" and verify your identity.
- Go to "Settings" -> "System" to explore the initial setup and settings.
This is the initial setup guide for PicShare. Throughout this tutorial series, we will dive deeper into customizing and configuring the platform for your needs.
Do you want to proceed to the customization and setup guides?
Here is an example of how to configure PicShare:
Database
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'db' => [
'driver' => 'mysql',
'host' => 'localhost',
'port' => '3306',
'database' => 'picshare',
'username' => 'root',
'password' => 'your_password',
'prefix' => '',
],
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'email' => [
'transport' => 'smtp',
'host' => 'your_smtp_host',
'port' => 587,
'encryption' => 'tls',
'username' => 'your_smtp_username',
'password' => 'your_smtp_password',
],
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'facebook' => [
'app_id' => 'your_facebook_app_id',
'app_secret' => 'your_facebook_app_secret',
'redirect_uri' => 'http://localhost/picshare/callback',
],
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'instagram' => [
'client_id' => 'your_instagram_client_id',
'client_secret' => 'your_instagram_client_secret',
'redirect_uri' => 'http://localhost/picshare/callback',
],
Redis
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'redis' => [
'host' => 'localhost',
'port' => 6379,
'database' => 0,
],
Server
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'server' => [
'max_upload_size' => '20M',
'max_execution_time' => 300,
],
Security
In the config/autoload/local.php
file, add the following settings:
'security' => [
'secret_key' => 'your_secret_key',
'salt' => 'your_salt',
],
Note: Replace your_
placeholders with your actual values.
Here are the features mentioned in the content:
- Account management: Users can create account, login, logout, password reset, and activation.
- Timeline: Posts and following users' posts are listed on Timeline page, allowing users to navigate, like, and comment on these posts.
- Search: Search is based on keyword matching, showing results in milliseconds. Users can search and navigate to other users' profiles.
- Share: Users can share single photo or multiple photos as carousel up to 16 photos with a caption.
- Comment: Users can add comments or like existing comments of posts.
- Activity: Follower requests, post likes, and user follows are listed historically. Users can accept following requests on this page.
- Profile: Users can see and update their profiles or other users' profiles.
- Follow: Users can follow each other, with private accounts requiring following requests.
These are the features mentioned in the content. Let me know if you'd like me to extract any other information.
$39.00
There are no reviews yet.