For a long time now I have been using imgur, but I got to thinking and wondered if there was a better site.
It would be nice if the site also allowed linking directly to the image file instead of having to go to their site. Also, an option to delete the image in-case I accidently dox myself after posting a screenshot.
After a bit of searching, I found PasteBoard and ImageVenue, but I haven’t tried them out yet.
What is everyone else using?
Most are trackerware. I was using Post Images but they ban your IP if you bypass their tracker links and link to images directly. If you only have a few images, or you don’t mind kicking a guy a few bucks for self hosting there is catbox.moe. If you’re only needing temporary hosting that same guy has litterbox.moe.
If you are concerned about posting images directly to the larger instances, don’t be. They have cheap third party storage options setup, and all the images are cached on the instances anyways. External hosting is only helpful for long term storage and small instances that host communities. It wouldn’t hurt to kick a buck or two into the pot to help the instances you use a lot. It’s like $5 per terabyte per month for 3rd party storage.
Can you go more in-depth about trackerware? After looking around, I found Post Images to be the one I like the most.
I use Mullvad VPN at all times, so I am not too worried about tracking, but I would like to know if it might be a bigger issue than I think it is.
I wanted to use https://catbox.moe in the future.
Catbox seems to work pretty well, but do note that they are blocked by government censorship in some countries (see their FAQ).
That’s what’s keeping me from using it. My understanding is that if I link an image from there, users in the UK and Australia won’t see it
Last time this was brought up users from those countries said they could use it so idk what the deal is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hm you’re right, I just tried it from a VPN and it worked fine. Not sure what that’s about then, maybe I will start using it
Hi! I’m in the UK and use catbox for all my images here on lemmy. I read that I’m not supposed to be able to access it but I’ve not had any issues
Been using this German site called Abload
Anonymous upload but needs an user account for deletion feature. Direct links are available and allowed.
Good find!
Wow, that is a classic looking site. It looks really close to what I am looking for.
Section 3-4 of the Terms of Use seems a little strict, but shouldn’t be a problem for me since I don’t upload memes and copyright content.
The 20 megabyte file limit is very generous!
That’s true, they’re strict but I guess that’s because of the German law they’re having to obey. They’ve been around for ages and I respect them for switching to donation based back in 2012 and being kept alive by the community ever since.
A feature I’d like to see is a place that allows uploads without an account, but provides a randomly generated seed for each upload you can save and use it to delete an image without needing an account like is normally required.
randomly generated seed
What do you mean by this? Usually these hosters offer a link to delete images.
This would be a tripcode authorization system.
I was trying out PixelFed, which seems like the best solution so far. I was able to direct link to a file quite easily. (Slime)
The only thing I am worried about is that they might not approve of direct linking. I checked the Terms of Use page, I couldn’t find anything that said not to direct link. Do you think it is allowed? or should I look for a different service?
The issue I take with this is that PixelFed is meant to be a community. I feel like using their resources for image hosting, for a platform that PixelFed users may not ever even interact with, is a bad move.
Yeah, it feels like instagram. Each time I upload an image, I have to remember to turn off comments and select unlisted.
That’s because it’s the Fediverse equivalent of Instagram.
https://lemmy.fmhy.ml/post/875899
A similar post discussed yesterday. Maybe you’d find some more alternatives there.
Also, do these “image” hosters allow gifs & small videos?
Thanks for the link!
I really like PostImages.
It has:
- Direct linking
- Anonymous
- Deleting posted image even without an account if you saved the link
- Auto expiring images
- 24Mb uploads
- Batch uploads (1000)
What is Direct Linking?
A link directly to the image file, so you don’t have to visit the site to see the image, avoiding another page load and advertising.
It allows you to embed the image as well.
Also, easy downloading if you want to save the image.
I haven’t used it, but this might be what you’re looking for?
I like that it is federated, but I wish I didn’t have to make an account. This might be the best option though.
From someone who has tried pixelfed, it is basically a photo post filter for mastodon. You can see photo posts people make on mastodon from pixelfed and you can see pixelfed posts from Mastodon. So as mastodon apps improve and you can filter posts by content type (maybe you already can?) than pixelfed is basically irrelevant and/or equivalent to a photography focused mastodon instance.
Just testing out
You attached the image to this post, right? No linking to external services?
Test:
