PyRemoteView - Remote SSH Image Gallery Viewer

PyRemoteView is a web-based application that allows you to remotely browse and view images stored locally on another server via SSH, with automatic thumbnail generation and caching for improved performance.

Features

• Browse remote directories and view images via web interface
• Automatic thumbnail generation for faster browsing
• Local caching of images and thumbnails
• Supports common image formats (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP)
• Responsive gallery with lightbox view and keyboard navigation
• Debug interface for troubleshooting
• Can be used to browse local files as well

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• Flask
• Pillow (PIL)
• SSH access to the remote server

Installation

Install from PyPI (Recommended)

You can install PyRemoteView directly from PyPI using pip:

pip install pyremoteview

This will install all required dependencies automatically.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install from source:

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Install required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Install the package:

   pip install .
   

Setting Up Passwordless SSH

For PyRemoteView to work properly, you need to set up passwordless SSH access to the remote server:

1. Generate an SSH key pair (if you don't already have one):

   ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
   

2. Copy your public key to the remote server:

   ssh-copy-id username@remote-server
   

   Or manually add the content of ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub to the remote server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file.

3. Test your passwordless login:

   ssh username@remote-server
   

   You should be able to log in without entering a password.

Usage

After PyPI Installation

If you installed PyRemoteView from PyPI, you can start it directly from the command line:

pyremoteview --remote-host remoteserver --remote-path /path/to/images

If Installed from Source

python remote_gallery.py --remote-host remoteserver --remote-path /path/to/images

Command Line Options

• --port PORT: Port to run the server on (default: 8080)
• --host HOST: Host to run the server on (default: 0.0.0.0)
• --remote-host REMOTE_HOST: Remote host to fetch images from
• --remote-path REMOTE_PATH: Path on remote host to browse
• --proxy-path PROXY_PATH: Base path when accessed through a reverse proxy (e.g., "/sd_preview")

Serving Local Files

To browse images on your local machine, use localhost as the remote host:

python remote_gallery.py --remote-host localhost --remote-path /path/to/local/images

Using with a Reverse Proxy

If you're accessing PyRemoteView through a reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx), use the --proxy-path argument:

pyremoteview --remote-host remoteserver --remote-path /path/to/images --proxy-path="/your_proxy_path"

Example Nginx configuration:

location /your_proxy_path/ {
    proxy_pass http://localhost:8080/;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
}

Web Interface

After starting the server, access the gallery by opening a web browser and navigating to:

http://localhost:8080

Features:

• Click on folders to navigate directories
• Click on images to view them in a lightbox
• Use arrow keys to navigate between images in lightbox view
• Press Escape to exit lightbox view
• Use "Clear Cache" button to refresh thumbnails and image cache

Troubleshooting

Access the debug page for detailed information about the server status, SSH connection, and cache:

http://localhost:8080/debug

Caching

The application caches thumbnails and recently viewed images in:

• ~/.cache/pyremoteview/thumbnails
• ~/.cache/pyremoteview/images

To clear the cache, use the "Clear Cache" button in the web interface or delete these directories.