Getting Started
Benefits of Stirling-PDF
- Extensive PDF Functionality: Access 60+ tools, including signing, converting, merging, and more.
- Advanced Customization: Deep customization, themes, and environment variables.
- Enterprise Features: SSO, user management, and permission controls.
- Data Security: Local file processing with automatic deletion post-task.
- Scalability & Automation: Batch processing with Docker and Kubernetes support.
- API Integration: Use APIs for automation and external integrations.
- Open-Source: Community-driven with frequent updates and GitHub support.
- Multi-Language Support: Available in 38+ languages with active translations.
Welcome to Stirling-PDF
See the Migration Guide for what's new and how to upgrade smoothly.
Stirling-PDF is a locally hosted web application that allows you to perform various operations on PDF files. With 60+ tools, flexible deployment options, and enterprise features, it's the comprehensive PDF solution for individuals and organizations.
What's New in V2
V2 brings major improvements to performance, workflow, and deployment flexibility:
- 📁 Stateful Processing - Upload once, use across multiple tools without re-uploading
- ⏮️ Undo & Redo - Made a mistake? Just undo it! Full version history included
- 🖥️ Native Desktop Apps - Lightning-fast startup, "Open with" integration, offline capable
- 🔀 Split Deployment - Scale frontend and backend independently for enterprise use
- ⚙️ In-App Settings - Configure everything through the UI, no file editing needed
Documentation Guide
👤 For Individual Users
Tool Reference Browse all 60+ PDF tools with descriptions and use cases
🏢 For Organizations & IT Teams
Production Deployment Guide Complete walkthrough: installation → configuration → security → monitoring
Pro & Enterprise Features SSO, advanced monitoring, external databases, and priority support
Configuration Options All configuration options for Docker and server deployments
🔧 For Developers & Integration
API Documentation Integrate Stirling-PDF into your applications and workflows
Configuration SSO, split deployment, certificates, security settings, and more
Contribute Guide Help improve Stirling-PDF - development setup and guidelines
Installation
Choose how you want to run Stirling-PDF based on your needs:
🖥️ Desktop Applications
Native apps with offline support and system integration:
| Platform | Download | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Installer | Windows Guide |
| Mac (Apple Silicon) | DMG | Mac Guide |
| Mac (Intel) | DMG | Mac Guide |
| Linux | AppImage/DEB/RPM | Unix Guide |
Features: Lightning-fast startup, "Open with" integration, works completely offline
🐳 Docker Deployment
Recommended for server deployments and organizations:
Quick Start:
docker run -d \
-p 8080:8080 \
-v ./stirling-data:/configs \
stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
Available versions:
latest- Standard version (recommended)latest-fat- Includes extra fonts and security featureslatest-ultra-lite- Minimal size for resource-constrained environments
Full guide: Docker Installation Guide
⚙️ Manual Server Setup
For bare metal installations or environments without Docker:
- Download
Stirling-PDF.jar - Install Java 21+
- Install dependencies (LibreOffice, Tesseract for OCR)
- Run the JAR file
Full guide: Unix Installation Guide