What happens to images that arent referenced in posts?

[elapse2039]

Probably an unexpected use case, but in a few scenarios I end up deciding to not use a photo, but had uploaded it to post to see it in the preview.

Do these photos remain forever in a database or are they garbage collected if there are no posts referencing them?

[mawise]

Yes, these images currently get orphaned. I do have plans to periodically garbage collect these orphaned images but it is a lower priority than some other work (like your QoL suggestions, and the ability to migrate your haven from one server to another)