Pillow by python-pillow

Python Imaging Library (fork)

ccross-platformpilpillowpythonpython-3image-processingimage
Verdict 83/100 health $4.13/mo cheapest, hetzner 2/5 setup difficulty Last release 1 months ago

Self-host Pillow on hetzner CAX11 for $4.13/mo.

Health score
83 /100
6-dim composite
Self-hosts from
$4.13 /mo
hetzner · CAX11
Difficulty
2 /5
Docker + read README
GitHub stars
14k
2.4k forks

About Pillow

From the project's README at github.com/python-pillow/Pillow. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.

Pillow is the friendly PIL fork by Jeffrey 'Alex' Clark and contributors. PIL is the Python Imaging Library by Fredrik Lundh and contributors. Development is supported by: Tidelift (since 2018) Thanks.dev (since 2023) GitHub Sponsors (since 2026)

<img alt="GitHub Actions build status (Test Linux and macOS)" src="https://github.com/python-

Health score breakdown

6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.

activity
96
maturity
100
community
96
security
85
sustainability
88
adoption
39

Adoption signals

Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.

SignalValueSource
GitHub stars 14k github.com/python-pillow/Pillow
GitHub forks 2.4k github.com/python-pillow/Pillow
PYPI downloads (last month) 448788k pillow

Release & maintenance

Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.

Project age13.8 yearssince Jul 2012
Last commit3 days agoMay 4, 2026
Releases shipped64last: 1 months ago
Security policySECURITY.mddeclared by maintainers
Funding links2declared by maintainers

Self-hosting cost across providers

Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.

ProviderPlanSpecsMonthly
hetzner CAX11 2c · 4GB · 40GB $4.13 USD Deploy →
vultr VC2 1c · 1GB · 25GB $5 USD Deploy →
linode Nanode 1GB 1c · 1GB · 25GB $5.12 USD Deploy →
digitalocean Basic Regular 1GB 1c · 1GB · 25GB $6 USD Deploy →

Security advisories

118 known advisories tracked via OSV.dev. Most recent: GHSA-pwv6-vv43-88gr.

What people say on Hacker News

Ready to self-host Pillow?

Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.

Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

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