Shared Albums on iCloud.com

MissWit wrote:

Thanks. I know that much, I just don't understand the point then of the shared folders. If i lose my device for example, then I no longer have those albums - the icloud is supposed to sync "all," photos.

The shared albums are shown in your Photos Library but are not a part of the Photos Library. Shared albums are using a different iCloud service from iCloud Photos. The storage used for shared albums does not count against your paid iCloud subscription. They are storing separate, downsized versions of your photos for sharing, some metadata are stripped, so you do not accidentally share more information than you intended. Shared albums are just meant for sharing photos, not as a permanent storage of your photos.

The original photo will stay in your Photos Library, and that photo will be synced with Cloud Photos.

Folders/albums shared with you in iCloud cannot be viewed at iCloud.com, just on your devices.

To see shared albums in a web browser you have to enable them as a public web site. Then copy the URL and use it to access the shared albums online.

If you lost your device, your shared albums would indeed populate again (provided they are still being shared with you). I suspect they don't show on iCloud as they are not your photos, but who knows. Not all features are enabled across devices. For example, you cannot create a smart album on an iPhone but can on a Mac.