Ente — End-to-End Encrypted Photo Storage & 2FA

What it is

Ente is an end-to-end encrypted cloud platform with two core products: Ente Photos (a Google Photos alternative) and Ente Auth (a Google Authenticator alternative). The zero-knowledge architecture encrypts all data on your device before upload -- the server never sees your photos or 2FA tokens. Features include cross-platform native apps, on-device AI for face recognition and search, shared albums with maintained encryption, and memory flashbacks. Released under AGPL-3.0.

Ente targets privacy-conscious users who want genuine end-to-end encryption for their photos and 2FA codes, not just at-rest encryption on the server.

How it saves time or tokens

Ente automates photo backup with end-to-end encryption, solving the 'backup vs privacy' dilemma. The 2FA authenticator syncs encrypted TOTP tokens across devices, eliminating the risk of losing 2FA access when a phone breaks. On-device ML provides face recognition and content search without sending data to the server.

How to use

1. Clone the repository and run docker compose up -d in the server directory.
2. Install the Ente Photos app on your phone and point it to your self-hosted server.
3. Enable automatic backup; photos are encrypted on-device before upload.

Example

git clone https://github.com/ente-io/ente.git
cd ente/server
docker compose up -d
# Server runs on configured port
# Install Ente Photos app and connect

Related on TokRepo

• AI Tools for Security -- Encryption and security tools
• AI Tools for Self-Hosted -- Privacy-focused self-hosted apps

Common pitfalls

• End-to-end encryption means lost encryption keys result in permanent data loss; back up your recovery key in a secure location.
• Self-hosting requires configuring object storage (S3-compatible) for encrypted photo data; local disk storage works for testing but not production.
• On-device ML features require capable hardware on the client device; older phones may see slow face recognition processing.