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Install ImageMagick and alternatives

Update 09/01/2026

This guide concerns ImageMagick, a powerful software suite for image manipulation, available on Infomaniak's Web Hosting and Cloud Servers.

 

Simplified installation: To install ImageMagick or its extensions, it is recommended to use Fast Installer from your Manager.

 

ImageMagick and image manipulation solutions

Several tools are available to process your images (resizing, conversion, watermarks):

  1. ImageMagick (CLI): the main suite that can be used via the command line (via SSH); the modern command is magick, but the old syntax convert is still available.
  2. PHP extension imagick: this is the most common solution for websites (WordPress, etc.); it allows you to use ImageMagick directly in your PHP scripts.
  3. GD Library: a lighter alternative, often pre-installed, ideal for simple operations (thumbnails, text on images).
  4. PerlMagick: a dedicated interface for Perl scripts to access ImageMagick features.

 

Paths and Commands

On Infomaniak infrastructure, ImageMagick is installed by default. The executables are located in the following directory:

/usr/bin/

Here are the main commands available:

CommandPrimary use
magick (or convert)Convert, resize, and transform images.
identifyGet the metadata of a file (format, size, etc.).
mogrifyApply a modification directly to the original file.
compositeOverlay multiple images (e.g., add a watermark logo).

To test for the presence of the Perl module Image::Magick, you can use the following command:

perl -e 'use Image::Magick; print "Installed\n"';

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