Situatie
Commercial PDF editors often require recurring subscriptions and send files to third‑party servers. Many people become frustrated with the high cost of these tools and are wary of uploading private documents to remote services. This frustration led me to run a PDF editor on a local server. Hosting the editor yourself gives you full control over your data and eliminates ads or feature gates that plague many free offerings.
Solutie
Stirling PDF is an open‑source, all‑in‑one PDF suite that can be deployed on your own server. It functions like a Swiss Army knife for PDFs — you can edit, convert and manage files directly from a browser. Key advantages include:
-
Full control and privacy: All document processing happens on your own machine; there are no ads, usage limits or surprise subscriptions
-
Browser‑based interface: Users work entirely from a web interface, meaning any device on the same network can access the editor
-
Feature‑rich toolkit: Stirling PDF packs in over 50 tools (see below), including merging, splitting, OCR, signing and more
-
Customization: You can adjust font size, opacity, rotation, spacing and colour when applying labels or logos and even select the language used for OCR to improve accuracy
Core Features
| Feature | Description | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Editing & Conversion | The platform can merge, split and convert PDFs into other formats. It also extracts pages or sections from larger files | These features make it possible to combine multiple papers or extract specific sections |
| Optical Character Recognition (OCR) | Stirling PDF can turn scanned, image‑based PDFs into searchable text and allows users to set the original language to improve recognition accuracy | OCR is one of the most useful functions for working with scanned documents |
| Compression & Security Tools | The suite includes PDF compression, annotation removal, page splitting, file comparison and certificate‑based signing | These built‑in functions reduce the need for separate applications |
| Customization | When adding labels or watermarks, users can adjust fonts, opacity and colours; similar flexibility applies to stamps and OCR settings | Customizable controls set the software apart from simpler editors |
Deployment: Running Stirling PDF via Docker
The easiest way to self‑host Stirling PDF is by using Docker Compose. The project’s installation guide provides a Compose file that specifies the container image, ports and volume mounts. By default the service listens on port 8080, accessible via http://[server IP]:8080; you can change the port if it conflicts with other services Volume mounts are important for persisting settings and customisation when updating the container.
Most Docker deployments expose an environment variable to toggle login security. Stirling PDF sets DOCKER_ENABLE_SECURITY=true by default; disable this only if your server is on a trusted internal network.
Access from Multiple Devices
Once Stirling PDF is running, any device on your local network can reach it through a browser by entering the server’s IP address. Those who need remote access can place the service behind a reverse proxy and use a domain name; however, this is optional
Why Use Stirling PDF for Work Projects?
For organisations handling sensitive documents, self‑hosting eliminates the need to trust third‑party services. Employees can annotate invoices, combine research papers or extract sections from long reports without leaving the company’s network. Built‑in OCR makes scanned contracts searchable, while compression and splitting tools streamline document storage and sharing. The fine‑grained customisation helps maintain consistent branding when stamping or watermarking official documents.
Leave A Comment?