Docker Installation for Stirling PDF

Run Stirling PDF in Docker for easy self-hosting, automatic updates, and flexible deployment.

Quick Start

docker run

docker run -d \
  --name stirling-pdf \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./stirling-data:/configs \
  stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest

docker-compose

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  stirling-pdf:
    image: stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
    container_name: stirling-pdf
    ports:
      - '8080:8080'
    volumes:
      - ./stirling-data:/configs
    restart: unless-stopped

Then run:

docker-compose up -d

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser!

Choosing Your Version

Version	Tag	What's Included	Best For
Standard	latest	All PDF features	Most users, balanced features & size
Fat	latest-fat	Everything + extra fonts & tools	Highest quality conversions, full format support
Ultra-Lite	latest-ultra-lite	Core features only	Limited resources, minimal size

Most users should use latest - it has everything you need.

When to use each version:

Standard (latest) - You want all PDF features, have normal server specs, or you're not sure which to pick.

Fat (latest-fat) - You need the highest quality conversions with full font support, every conversion format, and all optional tools. Disk space isn't a concern.

Ultra-Lite (latest-ultra-lite) - Running on very limited hardware (Raspberry Pi, low-end VPS), want fastest startup, or only need basic PDF operations.

To use a different version, just change the tag:

docker run -d stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest-ultra-lite

Full Setup (With All Features)

Want OCR, custom settings, and logging? Add more volumes:

docker run

docker run -d \
  --name stirling-pdf \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./stirling-data/tessdata:/usr/share/tessdata \
  -v ./stirling-data/configs:/configs \
  -v ./stirling-data/logs:/logs \
  -v ./stirling-data/pipeline:/pipeline \
  -e SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false \
  -e LANGS=en_GB \
  stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest

docker-compose

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  stirling-pdf:
    image: stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
    container_name: stirling-pdf
    ports:
      - '8080:8080'
    volumes:
      - ./stirling-data/tessdata:/usr/share/tessdata  # OCR language files
      - ./stirling-data/configs:/configs               # Settings & database
      - ./stirling-data/logs:/logs                     # Application logs
      - ./stirling-data/pipeline:/pipeline             # Automation configs
    environment:
      - SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false    # Set true to enable user authentication
      - LANGS=en_GB                   # Interface language
    restart: unless-stopped

Then run:

docker-compose up -d

What each volume does:

• /configs - Your settings and database
• /usr/share/tessdata - OCR language files
• /logs - Application logs
• /pipeline - Automation configurations

Updating Stirling PDF

docker run

docker stop stirling-pdf
docker rm stirling-pdf
docker pull stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
# Then run your original docker run command

docker-compose

docker-compose down
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

Your data is safe in the volumes and will persist across updates.

Common Configurations

Enable User Authentication

environment:
  - SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=true

Change Interface Language

environment:
  - LANGS=es_ES  # Spanish, or en_GB, fr_FR, de_DE, etc.

Custom Port

ports:
  - '9000:8080'  # Access at http://localhost:9000

Next Steps

• Add OCR Languages: See OCR Configuration
• Enable Authentication: See Security Settings
• Setup Automation: See Pipeline Configuration
• More Settings: See Configuration

Troubleshooting

Can't access at localhost:8080?

• Check if port 8080 is already in use
• Try a different port: -p 9000:8080
• Check firewall settings

Permission errors with volumes?

• Make sure the directories exist
• Check folder permissions: chmod -R 755 ./stirling-data

Container keeps restarting?

• Check logs: docker logs stirling-pdf
• Check system resources (RAM, disk space)
• Try ultra-lite version for limited hardware