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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​

Upgrading from V1?

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 - Full version history for page editing
  • Native Desktop Apps - Fast startup, "Open with" integration, offline capable
  • 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

For Organizations & IT Teams​

Production Deployment Guide Complete walkthrough: installation - configuration - security - monitoring

Paid Offerings (Server & Enterprise) External databases, Google Drive integration, SSO, advanced monitoring, 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, 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 system integration:

PlatformDownloadGuide
WindowsInstallerWindows Guide
Mac (Apple Silicon)DMGMac Guide
Mac (Intel)DMGMac Guide
LinuxDEBUnix Guide

Features: Fast startup, "Open with" integration, no login required, optional server connection for advanced tools

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 - Extra fonts and tools for highest quality conversions and full format support
  • latest-ultra-lite - Minimal size for resource-constrained environments

Full guide: Docker Installation Guide

Manual Server Setup​

For bare metal installations or environments without Docker:

  1. Download Stirling-PDF.jar
  2. Install Java 21+
  3. Install dependencies (LibreOffice, Tesseract for OCR)
  4. Run the JAR file

Full guide: Unix Installation Guide