explaingit

compdfkit/compdf-self-hosted

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

131TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

A self-hosted, open source Docker platform for editing and converting PDFs, Office files, images, and more from a browser.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((ComPDF Self-hosted))
    What it does
      PDF editing
      Format conversion
      Image conversion
    Tech stack
      Docker Compose
      TypeScript
      Admin dashboard
    Use cases
      Merge and split PDFs
      Convert PDF to Office formats
      Self host document tools
    Audience
      Developers
      Enterprises
    Setup
      Clone repo
      Copy env file
      docker compose up

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Self-host a browser-based PDF editor and converter for internal document workflows.

USE CASE 2

Convert between PDF, Office formats, images, and other formats via a Docker deployment.

USE CASE 3

Manage API keys, usage, and operation logs through the included admin dashboard.

What is it built with?

DockerTypeScriptDocker Compose

How does it compare?

compdfkit/compdf-self-hostedinfrost/raptorqrmicheleriva/zbsearch
Stars131131131
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultymoderatemoderateeasy
Complexity3/53/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Docker and Docker Compose, repo is unmaintained, current code lives at a newer repository.

MIT license, free to self-host, modify, and use commercially, with enterprise features sold separately.

In plain English

ComPDF Self-hosted is an open source document processing platform you run on your own servers using Docker. It combines a PDF editor, a PDF converter, and an image converter into one browser-based tool center, so a single deployment can handle document work that might otherwise need several separate services. The README notes that this specific repository is no longer maintained and points users to a newer repository at ComPDF/compdf-self-hosted for current code and updates. The tool center covers three broad areas. PDF editing includes merging, splitting, rotating, inserting or deleting pages, adding or removing watermarks, and encrypting or decrypting files. Format conversion runs both directions: PDF can become Word, Excel, slides, several image formats, HTML, plain text, CSV, RTF, JSON, searchable PDF, OFD, or Markdown, and files in formats like Word, Excel, slides, HTML, text, CSV, RTF, or PNG can be converted into PDF. There is also image conversion into formats such as Word, Excel, slides, HTML, CSV, text, RTF, and JSON. A separate dashboard console lets an administrator view API key details and usage, review operation logs, manage accounts, and adjust basic system settings like the interface name and theme color. Getting started means cloning the repository, copying an example environment file, and running Docker Compose, which starts the full stack including a web interface and admin dashboard with a default admin account. A free license is included by default for local development and testing, while an enterprise license removes watermarks, lifts the page-count limit, and adds batch processing, available separately from the ComPDF company. A development mode is also documented, running infrastructure in Docker while the server and web interface run locally for faster iteration. The project is licensed under MIT according to its README badge, making it free to self-host, modify, and use commercially, though the enterprise features are a separate paid offering layered on top of the open source base.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through deploying this repo's Docker Compose stack for the first time.
Prompt 2
Explain the difference between the free and enterprise license features in this repo.
Prompt 3
What document conversion paths does this repo's PDF tool center support?
Prompt 4
Summarize how the admin dashboard in this repo is used to manage API keys and logs.

Frequently asked questions

What is compdf-self-hosted?

A self-hosted, open source Docker platform for editing and converting PDFs, Office files, images, and more from a browser.

What language is compdf-self-hosted written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes Docker, TypeScript, Docker Compose.

What license does compdf-self-hosted use?

MIT license, free to self-host, modify, and use commercially, with enterprise features sold separately.

How hard is compdf-self-hosted to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is compdf-self-hosted for?

Mainly developer.

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