During their image build immich extensively compiles many libraries and sometimes with patches: https://github.com/immich-app/base-images/tree/main/server/sources. The current Debian stable and Ubuntu LTS usually don't have the libraries in those versions.
I see the primary focus of this project to provide only essential library backports, which currently is only vips, to be able to compile and run immich. All other library packages are provided from your distribution. This will inherently mean that there may be missing bug-fixes in whatever these libraries do, but in turn it's less maintenance and security patches are provided by your distribution.
This is also why there is a note in various places when it comes to reporting issues upstream. You should reproduce the bug with their official images before posting an issue there - we don't want to waste their time.
Additionally these packages should be allowed to be used with other services of the system, so providing backports for libraries on their original place might interfere negatively with other services on that system. If there's a need for newer library versions, it should be done in an own prefix (similar to how jellyfin-ffmpeg does it for ffmpeg). This also means vips is currently not following the rule, but there's a big warning in the apt homepage for this. Offering backports of packages in their original location should be explicitly opt-in. It a difficult line to draw between offering ease of install and use and to avoid potential issues.
I personally would like to avoid the need for maintaining those library packages, but with maybe a separate prefix or a separate apt-repository and enough interest (upvote this issue) we might look into it.
During their image build immich extensively compiles many libraries and sometimes with patches: https://github.com/immich-app/base-images/tree/main/server/sources. The current Debian stable and Ubuntu LTS usually don't have the libraries in those versions.
I see the primary focus of this project to provide only essential library backports, which currently is only
vips, to be able to compile and run immich. All other library packages are provided from your distribution. This will inherently mean that there may be missing bug-fixes in whatever these libraries do, but in turn it's less maintenance and security patches are provided by your distribution.This is also why there is a note in various places when it comes to reporting issues upstream. You should reproduce the bug with their official images before posting an issue there - we don't want to waste their time.
Additionally these packages should be allowed to be used with other services of the system, so providing backports for libraries on their original place might interfere negatively with other services on that system. If there's a need for newer library versions, it should be done in an own prefix (similar to how
jellyfin-ffmpegdoes it for ffmpeg). This also meansvipsis currently not following the rule, but there's a big warning in the apt homepage for this. Offering backports of packages in their original location should be explicitly opt-in. It a difficult line to draw between offering ease of install and use and to avoid potential issues.I personally would like to avoid the need for maintaining those library packages, but with maybe a separate prefix or a separate apt-repository and enough interest (upvote this issue) we might look into it.