New Features in V2

V2 brings powerful new features that fundamentally improve how you work with PDFs. This page documents everything new in V2.

📁 Browser File Storage#

The Game Changer: Upload PDFs once, use them across multiple tools without re-uploading.

What's New#

• Persistent Storage: Files stored locally in your browser using IndexedDB
• Cross-Tool Usage: Access uploaded files from any tool
• Smart Management: Automatic cleanup, manual delete options
• Large File Support: Up to 10GB storage (browser-dependent)

How It Works#

Upload PDF → Stored in Browser → Use in Any Tool → Delete When Done

Example Workflow:

1. Upload report.pdf in Multi-Tool
2. Compress it
3. Switch to Add Page Numbers (file still there!)
4. Add watermark (still no re-upload!)
5. Download final result

Storage Limits#

⏮️ Undo, Redo & Version History#

Made a mistake? Just undo it! V2 introduces comprehensive version control.

What's New#

• Undo/Redo: Undo and redo buttons in toolbar
• Version History: See all previous versions with timestamps
• Jump to Version: Restore any previous state
• Visual Indicators: See current version in timeline
• All Local: History stored in your browser, fully private

How It Works#

Every operation creates a new version:

Original.pdf → [Compress] → v1 → [Add Pages] → v2 → [Watermark] → v3
                ↑           ↑                 ↑                   ↑
                Can restore to any point in history

Accessing Features#

• Undo Button: Click undo in toolbar
• Redo Button: Click redo in toolbar
• History Panel: Click history icon in Multi-Tool

Example Use Case#

Scenario: You compressed a PDF too aggressively and text is blurry.

Solution:

1. Click undo button to undo compression
2. Open Version History panel
3. See: Original → Compress (MEDIUM) ← You are here
4. Click "Restore" on Original
5. Re-compress with LIGHT setting instead

🖥️ Desktop Applications#

NEW: Native desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

What's New#

• Lightning Fast: 0.3 second startup time
• Native Integration: "Open with Stirling PDF" in file explorer
• System Default: Set as default PDF viewer
• Sign in with Stirling Cloud or self-hosted server - Choose your connection on launch
• Resource Efficient: Uses ~50MB RAM vs browser ~200MB

Platform Support#

Key Differences from Web#

Right-Click Integration#

After installation:

1. Right-click any PDF in file explorer
2. Select "Open with Stirling PDF"
3. PDF opens directly in app
4. Sign in (if needed)
5. Process immediately

Learn More:

• Windows Installation
• Mac Installation
• Linux Installation

⌨️ Custom Keyboard Shortcuts#

NEW: Configure your own keyboard shortcuts for quick tool access.

What's New#

• Custom Hotkeys: Assign keyboard shortcuts to any tool
• Quick Access: Default shortcuts for 7 most popular tools (Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+1-7)
• Flexible Mapping: Use any combination of Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Cmd keys
• Visual Feedback: See all shortcuts in settings
• Conflict Detection: Prevents duplicate shortcut assignments
• Easy Reset: Restore default shortcuts anytime

Default Shortcuts#

The 7 Recommended Tools come with pre-configured shortcuts:

Customizing Shortcuts#

To configure:

1. Open Settings (gear icon)
2. Navigate to "Keyboard Shortcuts" section
3. Find the tool you want to assign
4. Click "Set Shortcut"
5. Press your desired key combination
6. Save changes

Example:

• Want to open Convert with Ctrl+Alt+C?
• Navigate to Convert tool in shortcuts list
• Click "Set Shortcut"
• Press Ctrl+Alt+C

Tips#

• Don't override browser shortcuts: Avoid Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W, etc.
• Use Alt/Option combos: Less likely to conflict with system shortcuts
• Keep it memorable: Use letters that relate to tool names
• Test after setting: Make sure shortcuts work in practice

⚙️ In-App Settings Management#

NEW: Configure everything through the UI (admin only).

What's New#

• Visual Configuration: No more editing YAML files
• Instant Validation: See errors before saving
• Live Preview: Some settings apply immediately
• Organized Sections: Settings grouped logically
• Search Settings: Find what you need quickly
• Import/Export: Backup and restore configurations

Settings You Can Configure#

System:

• Default locale and timezone
• Resource limits
• Logging levels
• CORS origins

Security:

• Login requirements
• User registration
• Session timeout
• Password policies

UI Customization:

• App name and description
• Logo style (classic/modern)
• Navbar branding
• Homepage content

Features:

• Enable/disable tools
• Endpoint customization
• OCR languages
• Conversion settings

How to Access#

1. Enable login: SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=true
2. Log in as admin
3. Click Settings icon in navbar
4. Configure through UI
5. Save changes

Benefits Over File Configuration:

• No container restart needed (for most settings)
• Validation prevents errors
• Changes tracked in audit log
• Role-based access control

🔐 PDF Signature Validation#

NEW: Comprehensive certificate chain validation for signed PDFs.

What's New#

Full trust chain validation system:

• Multiple Trust Sources:

  • System trust store
  • Mozilla CA bundle
  • Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL)
  • EU Trusted List (EUTL)
  • Server-generated anchor certificates

• Revocation Checking:

  • OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol)
  • CRL (Certificate Revocation Lists)
  • Configurable hard/soft fail

• AIA (Authority Information Access):

  • Automatic intermediate cert fetching
  • Chain building support

Configuration#

security:
  validation:
    trust:
      serverAsAnchor: true          # Trust server-generated certs
      useSystemTrust: true           # Use OS trust store
      useMozillaBundle: true         # Mozilla CA certificates
      useAATL: false                 # Adobe trust list
      useEUTL: false                 # EU trust list
    allowAIA: false                  # Fetch intermediate certs
    revocation:
      mode: none                     # none, ocsp, crl, ocsp+crl
      hardFail: false                # Fail if revocation check fails

Use Cases#

Enterprise:

• Validate invoices signed by partners
• Verify contract signatures
• Compliance with legal requirements

Government:

• Validate officially signed documents
• EU eIDAS compliance
• EUTL integration

General:

• Verify PDF authenticity
• Check if signature still valid
• Detect tampered documents

Learn More: Certificate Signing

🔑 Server Certificate Management#

NEW: Automatic certificate generation for signing PDFs.

What's New#

• Auto-Generated Certs: Server creates signing certificates on startup
• Customizable: Configure organization name, validity period
• No Manual Setup: Works out of the box
• Renewable: Regenerate certificates as needed
• "Sign with Stirling PDF" Feature: Users can sign with server cert

Configuration#

system:
  serverCertificate:
    enabled: true
    organizationName: Stirling-PDF
    validity: 365  # days
    regenerateOnStartup: false

How It Works#

1. First Startup:

   • Server generates self-signed certificate
   • Stored in configs/ directory
   • Used for "Sign with Stirling PDF" feature

2. Subsequent Startups:

   • Uses existing certificate (unless regenerateOnStartup: true)
   • Certificate persists across restarts

3. User Signs PDF:

   • Selects "Sign with Stirling PDF"
   • Server signs using generated certificate
   • Signature embedded in PDF

Custom Certificates#

You can also provide your own certificates:

configs/
  ├── keystore.p12           # Your certificate
  └── settings.yml

Then disable auto-generation:

system:
  serverCertificate:
    enabled: false  # Use custom cert instead

Learn More:

• Certificate Signing Guide
• Configuration

🎯 Multi-Tool Workbench#

NEW: Dedicated workspace for chaining unlimited operations.

What's New#

• Visual Workbench: See all loaded files and their history
• Unlimited Operations: Chain as many tools as needed
• Operation History: See what you've done to each file
• Undo/Redo: Per-file version control
• Batch Processing: Process multiple files simultaneously
• Result Management: Keep, download, or discard results

Example Workflow#

Multi-Tool Workbench
├── invoice.pdf
│   ├── [Original]
│   ├── [OCR - English]
│   ├── [Compress - MEDIUM]
│   └── [Add Page Numbers] ← Current
├── report.pdf
│   ├── [Original]
│   └── [Add Watermark] ← Current
└── contract.pdf
    └── [Original] ← No operations yet

Key Features#

1. Smart Tool Switching:

   • Switch tools without losing files
   • Context preserved between operations
   • No re-uploading needed

2. Operation Queue:

   • See pending operations
   • Reorder before processing
   • Cancel if needed

3. Result Preview:

   • Preview before downloading
   • Compare before/after
   • Verify operations succeeded

Learn More: Multi-Tool Workbench Guide

📖 Read & Annotate Tool#

NEW: Full-featured PDF viewer with annotation capabilities.

What's New#

• PDF Viewer: Read PDFs directly in browser
• Annotation Tools:
  • Highlight text
  • Add comments
  • Draw shapes
  • Insert text boxes
  • Sticky notes
• Navigation:
  • Thumbnail sidebar
  • Table of contents
  • Page search
  • Zoom controls
• Collaboration:
  • Export annotations
  • Share annotated PDFs
  • Comment threads

Use Cases#

Review:

• Mark up documents for approval
• Add review comments
• Highlight important sections

Collaboration:

• Annotate contracts before signing
• Review proposals with team
• Provide feedback on drafts

Study:

• Highlight key passages
• Add study notes
• Mark important pages

Annotation Types#

Learn More: Read & Annotate Guide

🔄 Enhanced Session Management#

Improved: Better session and token management with rotation and cleanup.

What's New in V2#

New Settings#

security:
  jwt:
    persistence: true           # Store keys across restarts
    enableKeyRotation: true     # Rotate signing keys periodically
    enableKeyCleanup: true      # Auto-delete old keys
    keyRetentionDays: 7         # How long to keep old keys

Benefits#

Key Rotation:

• Improved security through regular key changes
• Seamless for users (old tokens still work during grace period)
• Configurable rotation schedule

Automatic Cleanup:

• No manual key management needed
• Prevents key accumulation
• Configurable retention period

Persistence:

• Keys survive container restarts
• No user re-login after restart
• Optional for stateless deployments

✉️ Email Invitation System#

NEW: Invite users via email instead of manual registration.

What's New#

• Email Invites: Send registration links via email
• Token-Based: Secure one-time registration tokens
• Expiration: Invites expire after configurable period
• Role Assignment: Set user role in invite
• Bulk Invites: Invite multiple users at once

Configuration#

mail:
  enabled: true
  from: [email protected]
  smtp:
    host: smtp.example.com
    port: 587
    username: [email protected]
    password: ${MAIL_PASSWORD}

Requirements#

• mail.enabled: true
• security.enableLogin: true
• Valid SMTP configuration

How It Works#

Admin perspective:

1. Go to User Management
2. Click "Invite User"
3. Enter email and select role
4. Send invite

User perspective:

1. Receive email with invite link
2. Click link (valid for 48 hours)
3. Create account with password
4. Automatically logged in

Environment Variables#

MAIL_ENABLED=true
MAIL_FROM=[email protected]
MAIL_ENABLEINVITES=true
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=[email protected]
MAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-password
MAIL_TLS_ENABLED=true

🎨 Logo Customization#

NEW: Choose between logo styles and customize branding.

What's New#

ui:
  logoStyle: classic  # Options: 'classic' or 'modern'

Logo Styles#

Custom Logo#

You can still provide custom logo files:

customFiles/
  └── static/
      └── logo.svg  # Your custom logo

Then reference in settings:

ui:
  appNameNavbar: 'My Company PDF'
  logoStyle: classic  # Or use custom logo

Summary#

V2's Major Features:

• 📁 Browser File Storage - Upload once, use across multiple tools
• ⏮️ Undo/Redo & Version History - Never lose work
• 🖥️ Desktop Applications - Native Windows, Mac, Linux apps
• 🎨 Multi-Tool Workbench - Chain unlimited operations
• 📖 Read & Annotate - Full PDF viewer with annotation support
• ⚙️ In-App Settings - Configure everything through UI
• 🔐 Enhanced Security - PDF signature validation, server certificates
• ✉️ Email Invitations - Streamlined user onboarding
• ⌨️ Custom Keyboard Shortcuts - Quick tool access
• 🔄 Enhanced Session Management - Better token management with rotation

Learn More#

• Migration Overview - How to upgrade
• Settings Changes - Configuration updates
• Breaking Changes - What changed
• Getting Started - Start using V2