Stirling PDF with Docker Compose

Stirling PDF is one container: docker.stirlingpdf.com/stirlingtools/stirling-pdf on port 8080. It needs no database. Set SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=true on any public server, or anyone can use it. With login on, the first account is admin / password unless you set SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME and SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD. Change that password right after the first start.

Stirling PDF merges, splits, compresses, converts, signs and OCRs PDFs in the browser. Files are processed on your server and are not sent anywhere else.

If you're new to Docker Compose, check out our guide on how to self-host a Docker Compose app. More stacks are in our Docker Compose library.

Self-host Stirling PDF with Docker Compose (minimal)

services:
  stirling-pdf:
    image: docker.stirlingpdf.com/stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN: "true"
      SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME: admin
      SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD: change_me_to_a_long_random_password
      DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: "false"
      LANGS: en_GB
    volumes:
      - stirling-configs:/configs
      - stirling-custom:/customFiles
      - stirling-pipeline:/pipeline
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  stirling-configs:
  stirling-custom:
  stirling-pipeline:

Then:

docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:8080 and log in with the username and password from the compose file.

note

/configs holds settings.yml, custom_settings.yml and the user database. Without this volume, every restart resets the users and settings, and the default login works again.

warning

The initial login values only apply on the first start, when no user exists yet. Changing them later does not change the password. Change it inside the app instead.

Deploy Stirling PDF on Hostim.dev (One-Click)

Stirling PDF is an open-source PDF toolbox. With Hostim.dev, you can deploy it with Docker in one click, with persistent volumes, a domain and HTTPS.

Try it Yourself

Guest project runs for 1 hour. Log in to save and extend to 5 days.

note

The template generates a random admin password at deploy time. Find it in the SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD environment variable of the app.

Why Host Stirling PDF on Hostim.dev?

One-click Docker deployment
Login is on from the first start, with a generated admin password
Settings and users stay on a persistent volume
Automatic HTTPS and domain
Real-time logs and metrics
Your PDFs stay on your own app

What's included

Resource	Details
App	`docker.stirlingpdf.com/stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest`
Volumes	`/configs`, `/customFiles`, `/pipeline`, `/usr/share/tessdata`
Login	On (`SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=true`), user `admin`, password generated per deploy
Domain	Free `*.hostim.dev` subdomain
SSL	Let's Encrypt (auto-enabled)
Port	`8080`
Plan	2 GB RAM (`sa-2-2`). OCR and Office conversion need the memory.

How to Deploy

Go to your Hostim.dev dashboard.
Click Create Project → Use a Template.
Select Stirling PDF.
Choose a resource plan.
Deploy. The first start takes about a minute.
Copy the password from the app's SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD environment variable.
Open your app's domain, log in as admin and change the password.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the default Stirling PDF login?

admin / password, when login is on and you did not set SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME and SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD. The app does not force a password change, so change it yourself after the first login. The Hostim template does not use this default: it generates a random password at deploy time.

How do I turn on login in Stirling PDF?

Set SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=true and restart the container. Without it, the app has no login and anyone who can reach the URL can use every tool. Turn it on for any public server.

Does Stirling PDF need a database?

No. Users and settings are stored in files under /configs. Keep that directory on a volume.

Does OCR work out of the box?

Yes. The image ships Tesseract and OCRmyPDF. In our test on Stirling PDF 3.2.0, English OCR worked on a fresh container with no extra setup.

What does DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES do?

When it is false, the security features (login and user management) are loaded. Keep it false if you want login. Version 3.2.0 still reads it at startup.

How much memory does Stirling PDF need?

Plan for 2 GB. The app runs on Java, and OCR and Office conversion start extra processes. Small instances can run out of memory on large files.

How do I back up and update Stirling PDF?

Back up the /configs volume. It holds users and settings. To update with Docker, run docker compose pull && docker compose up -d. On Hostim.dev, redeploy the app.

Alternatives

Paperless-ngx: stores and indexes scanned documents. Use it to keep documents, use Stirling PDF to edit them.
Desktop PDF editors: fine for one person, but not shared and not in the browser.

Source + Docs

GitHub: https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF
Documentation: https://docs.stirlingpdf.com

Looking for something else? Browse all templates →

Try it now

Deploy Stirling PDF Now – in less than 60 seconds

Self-host Stirling PDF with Docker Compose (minimal)​

Deploy Stirling PDF on Hostim.dev (One-Click)​

Why Host Stirling PDF on Hostim.dev?​

What's included​

How to Deploy​

FAQ​