The latest articles on DEV Community by arya (@arya422). https://dev.to/arya422 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4170365%2F9ed9b6a0-a6ab-4e40-8b91-940f58f3e9ee.png https://dev.to/arya422 en arya Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:27:35 +0000 https://dev.to/arya422/i-used-github-as-the-backend-for-a-shared-photo-album-3pfp https://dev.to/arya422/i-used-github-as-the-backend-for-a-shared-photo-album-3pfp <p>Our trip photos always ended up scattered across group chats and different cloud accounts. I didn't want to run a photo server or charge a subscription, so I built <strong><a href="https://albummoa.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moa</a></strong>: a shared photo album where <strong>every album is a private GitHub repo in your own account</strong>.<br> It's my first real project, built mostly with Claude Code.</p> <h2> How it works </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>One album = one private repo.</strong> Originals, previews and thumbnails are committed into day folders. Friends you invite become collaborators, and you can clone the repo anytime.</li> <li> <strong>Saving at the same time.</strong> Every change is a small op (add photos, tag, like). Before each commit, the app replays the ops on the latest state and retries if someone else committed first, so nobody's changes are lost.</li> <li> <strong>Optional encryption.</strong> AES-GCM in the browser, so GitHub only stores ciphertext.</li> <li> <strong>View-only links.</strong> Friends without GitHub can look. Encrypted copies go into secret gists, and the key lives only after the <code>#</code> in the URL, which browsers never send to a server.</li> </ul> <h2> Limits </h2> <ul> <li>Creating an album or uploading needs a GitHub account.</li> <li>About 10 GB per album is recommended.</li> </ul> <h2> Try it </h2> <p>Free for one album, $3.99 once for more (no subscription): <strong><a href="https://albummoa.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">albummoa.app</a></strong><br> Would "Sign in with GitHub" stop your non-developer friends? I'd love to hear.</p> javascript github webdev showdev