About
Gramps Web is a powerful, open-source genealogy system designed for collaborative family history research. Whether you're working solo or with extended family members, it provides a rich web-based interface for building, managing, and sharing family trees with complete control over your data. Because it's self-hosted, your genealogical data stays private — there's no third-party cloud storing your family information. The platform supports comprehensive genealogy workflows including adding and editing people, families, events, and media files. Users can tag individuals in photos, write blog entries, manage research tasks, and navigate a full revision history. For those leveraging genetic genealogy, Gramps Web includes a dedicated DNA section with support for DNA matches, a chromosome browser, and Y-DNA analysis. An AI chat feature allows users to query their family data conversationally, making it easier to surface insights and connections across large datasets. The system syncs seamlessly with Gramps Desktop, so users can work across environments without data loss. Deployment is straightforward via Docker, with options for DigitalOcean, TrueNAS, and S3 media hosting. An open API makes it extensible for developers. Gramps Web is ideal for genealogy enthusiasts, family historians, researchers, and developers looking for a privacy-first, community-driven alternative to commercial genealogy platforms.
Key Features
- Collaborative Family Tree Building: Multiple users can register, contribute, and edit a shared family tree with role-based access, making it ideal for extended family research projects.
- AI Chat Assistant: An integrated AI chat feature lets users query and explore their genealogy data conversationally, surfacing insights from large family datasets.
- DNA Analysis Tools: Dedicated DNA section includes DNA match management, a chromosome browser, and Y-DNA support for genetic genealogy research.
- Media Management & Photo Tagging: Upload photos, documents, and other media files, then tag individuals directly in photos to build a rich visual family archive.
- Gramps Desktop Sync: Seamlessly synchronize data between Gramps Web and the Gramps Desktop application, enabling flexible workflows across environments.
Use Cases
- Families collaborating across distances to document and grow a shared genealogy database with privacy guaranteed through self-hosting.
- Genealogy enthusiasts syncing research between a local Gramps Desktop installation and a web-accessible Gramps Web instance.
- Researchers performing genetic genealogy analysis using DNA match comparisons and chromosome browser visualization.
- Hobbyist developers extending Gramps Web via its open API to build custom tools or integrations on top of their genealogy data.
- Privacy-conscious individuals who want a full-featured family tree platform without entrusting their data to commercial genealogy services.
Pros
- Completely Free and Open Source: No subscription fees or hidden costs — the full feature set is available for free, and the codebase is open for community contribution.
- Privacy-First Self-Hosting: Your genealogy data is hosted on your own infrastructure, giving you complete control and ensuring sensitive family information stays private.
- Rich Feature Set: Covers the full genealogy workflow from people and events to DNA analysis, media, blogging, task management, and AI-powered querying.
- Active Community and Documentation: Comprehensive user guides, developer documentation, and an active open-source community provide excellent support and extensibility.
Cons
- Requires Self-Hosting: There is no managed SaaS option; users must deploy and maintain their own server instance, which may be a barrier for non-technical users.
- Technical Setup Needed: Initial deployment via Docker or other methods requires some technical knowledge around server administration and configuration.
- No Native Mobile App: Gramps Web is browser-based only; there are no dedicated iOS or Android apps, which may limit convenience on mobile devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gramps Web completely free to use?
Yes. Gramps Web is fully free and open-source. There are no subscription tiers or paid plans — all features are available at no cost.
How does Gramps Web differ from Gramps Desktop?
Gramps Desktop is a local application installed on your computer, while Gramps Web is a web-based system accessible from any browser. They can be used together, with data synchronized between the two environments.
How do I deploy Gramps Web?
The recommended deployment method is via Docker. There are official guides for Docker with Let's Encrypt, DigitalOcean, and TrueNAS. You can also use PostgreSQL and host media on S3 for scalable setups.
What AI features does Gramps Web include?
Gramps Web includes an AI chat feature that allows users to ask natural language questions about their family data. It can be configured by the server administrator as part of the setup process.
What DNA features are supported?
Gramps Web supports DNA match management, a chromosome browser for visualizing shared DNA segments, and Y-DNA analysis, making it suitable for genetic genealogy research.
