Stirling PDF

Development512MB+ RAM

Powerful locally-hosted web-based PDF manipulation tool with merge, split, convert, and OCR

Download Server Compass View Documentation

pdfdocumentstoolsconverterocr

Deploy Stirling PDF in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Stirling PDF

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Manual Setup Guide

Set Up Stirling PDF from Terminal

Get your hands dirty: manual Stirling PDF deployment guide for developers.

Establish SSH Connection

Connect to your remote server using SSH. Make sure you have your server credentials ready.

terminal

# Log into your server
ssh root@<your-server-ip>

# If using key-based auth
ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-key root@<your-server-ip>

First time? Docker not installed? Run: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Create Project Directory

Set up a directory to store your Docker configuration.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/stirling-pdf
cd ~/apps/stirling-pdf

Configure Docker Compose

Add this configuration to your docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  stirling-pdf:
    image: stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - DOCKER_ENABLE_SECURITY=false
      - SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false
    volumes:
      - stirling_data:/configs
      - stirling_logs:/logs
      - stirling_training:/usr/share/tessdata
      - stirling_custom:/customFiles
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -f http://localhost:8080/api/v1/info/status || exit 1"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 60s
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  stirling_data:
  stirling_logs:
  stirling_training:
  stirling_custom:

Environment Variables

PORTHost port to expose(default: 8080)

ENABLE_LOGINEnable authentication(default: false)

Start the Services

Execute the deployment and check the container status.

terminal

# Deploy the application
docker compose up -d

# Check container health
docker compose ps

# Monitor logs
docker compose logs -f --tail=100

Allow Incoming Connections

Enable network access by updating your firewall rules.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:8080

Skip the Terminal

Too complicated? Let Server Compass handle it.

Why type commands when you can click? Deploy Stirling PDF the easy way with Server Compass.

Intuitive dashboard
Deploy in 3 minutes
Free SSL included
Blue-green deploys
Real-time logs
Version history

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Stirling PDF with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Open the Stirling PDF URL in your browser

Start using PDF tools (merge, split, convert, OCR, etc.)

Configure security settings if exposing publicly

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Stirling PDF FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Stirling PDF

How do I deploy Stirling PDF with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Stirling PDF from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Stirling PDF?

Stirling PDF requires a minimum of 512MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Stirling PDF data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Stirling PDF backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Stirling PDF to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Stirling PDF image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Stirling PDF free to self-host?

Stirling PDF is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.