It hasn’t been until recently that I started self-hosting some of the apps I use. The main reason is that I didn’t want my data and assets living on the cloud or unknown servers anymore. Before that, my entire graphics stack just lived wherever I installed them, each with its own automatic update cycle and assumptions about how I should be working. That setup worked for a long time, but with all of the graphics software I’m constantly testing, it started getting messy to keep track of where all my files lived, what version of a tool I’m using, or whether unexpected updates were going to break something in the middle of my projects.

I’m still new to self-hosting and learning the ropes, but after moving a portion of my productivity stack to a self-hosted setup, I started doing the same with my graphics toolkit. Unfortunately, not all of my graphics stack is self-hostable, but the ones that are have already made a noticeable difference in how I manage files, visual assets, updates, and overall workflow. These are the graphics tools that I’ve moved into Docker containers…

Penpot

A self-hosted design platform

Penpot is an open-source design and prototyping tool built for teams and solo designers who want full control over their design process without relying on cloud services. It’s a top Figma alternative, with a very similar feature set and layout, except it’s self-hostable and free (with paid tiers for more advanced functions). You can create vector graphics, UI mockups, interactive prototypes, and collaborate on projects in real-time, all from your self-hosted instance. It’s particularly appealing for designers who care about privacy, data ownership, and working in organizations that prioritize open standards.

The Penpot team provides a clear guide for setting it up with Docker, which makes it easy to run on your own server or local machine. I don’t have a homelab or additional hardware and just use my main PC as my server - and Penpot was actually one of the first tools I learned how to self-host with the help of NotebookLM. It was easier than I expected and only involves creating the folder, downloading the Docker Compose files, adjusting the configurations, and starting Penpot via Docker. Updates are also explicit; you pull a new Docker image when you’re ready so nothing changes in the middle of your design process. This is all pretty streamlined for a more heavyweight app.

Even if you don’t self-host it and use the browser-based version on Penpot’s servers, they’re transparent about data allocation and handling, and you still have ownership of your files, complete control is just more limited. Beyond self-hosting, Penpot is incredibly feature-rich and capable, and is used by major companies like Kaleidos and S&P Global. But it’s also suitable for novice and hobbyist designers such as myself - I use it for my design coursework.

Bitmappery

A self-hosted Photoshop alternative

Bitmappery was a more recent find for me. Not only is trying out new tools part of my work, but ever since I discovered the Adobe suite many years ago, I’ve been obsessed with exploring graphics tools that let me create cool things. Even after canceling my Adobe subscriptions, I never stopped trying out image and design editors just for the sake of it, and I’m still surprised whenever there’s a tool I’ve never heard of that turns out to be great. Bitmappery is about a decade old at this point, and the sole developer/designer didn't necessarily create it to be a PS replacement, just a tool that served his editing needs that other open-source options didn’t meet. But it’s still a great option for anyone who wants a simpler PS-like tool that they can self-host.

Self-hosting Bitmappery is super easy. You just grab the project from Git, build the Docker image, and run it as a container. It was up after only a couple of minutes. Even if you use the non-self-hosted browser version, it’s still a privacy-forward tool that combines local and cloud integration - it’s serverless and connects directly to your local machine or cloud service providers of choice.

Feature-wise, Bitmappery covers most of what a typical graphics editor needs. It has non-destructive layer-based editing, selection tools, color editing, effects, text tools, and tweakable properties for every adjustment. While it’s not suitable for high-end commercial work, it’s perfect for simple composites, quick edits, or experimenting, and it’s perfect for photographers and designers who want a transparent tool that’s easy to spin up.

PhotoPrism

A self-hosted media file management app

PhotoPrism is an open-source, AI-powered photo management app built for anyone who wants a more private and secure alternative to cloud services, and it replaced Google Photos for me. It lets you sort through and search large photo libraries using things like automatic tagging, facial recognition, and location data. It also supports a wide range of formats, including RAW and video, and can extract metadata like camera info from your files.

Getting it running with Docker is pretty straightforward. PhotoPrism publishes multi-architecture Docker images that support deployment across Linux, Mac, Windows, and even Raspberry Pi and NAS. You just map your photo folders into the containers, point PhotoPrism at them, and it will index everything, build thumbnails, and run the AI tagging and search features without sending the files to outside servers. Updates are just a matter of pulling a new image and restarting the container. PhotoPrism is both the first and final stage of my graphics workflow, where I fetch and store visual assets.

Running my graphics toolkit in Docker

Moving these parts of my graphics stack into Docker didn’t have much to do with optimizing the tools, it’s more about knowing where my data lives and choosing when to update. Even with running everything on my own main machine, containerizing these tools gave me clearer boundaries between the design process and the software I rely on.