How to self-host Stirling PDF

Merge, split, compress, sign and convert PDF files right in the browser. Cresdock runs it on a server you own, from a catalogue, with no Docker and no reverse proxy to configure.

What Cresdock does for you with Stirling PDF

Its configuration is written before the container ever starts — including the web address it lives at, so Stirling PDF generates correct links from the first page load instead of half-working behind a prefix.
Reached through your panel login. There is no second password to invent for Stirling PDF and no port to open on your firewall.

Why run Stirling PDF yourself

Small tools are where a subscription is hardest to justify: a few pounds a month, times a dozen tools, for software that would run happily on a server you already pay for.

It is also how you retire the online PDF tools — one line in replacing cloud subscriptions, app by app.

What kind of server Stirling PDF needs

Small. These are the sort of app people run on a server they already have, alongside everything else, without thinking about capacity.

Cresdock itself is undemanding — it runs on a small rented server, an old desktop or a mini PC, on Ubuntu or Debian. Everything it installs shares that machine, so the honest question is not "will this app run" but "how much am I going to put on here in total".

Where to run Stirling PDF

Stirling PDF runs wherever Cresdock runs, and the choice is about the machine, not the app:

At home, on hardware you already own. A mini PC, an old desktop or a NAS that can run Debian. Cresdock works behind a home router with no port forwarding and no domain, so Stirling PDF is reachable on your own network first and from outside only if you choose.
On a rented server. A small VPS is enough for most apps and is the usual answer when Stirling PDF should be reachable from anywhere. The setup guide covers the specs and the one-command install.
Through a provider that runs Cresdock. Hosting companies deploy Cresdock workspaces for their customers, so Stirling PDF can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.

Installing Stirling PDF

Put Cresdock on a server
One line on any Ubuntu or Debian machine — a rented VPS, a spare PC, a home server. It sets itself up.
Pick Stirling PDF from the catalogue
Click Install. The panel pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets a certificate and starts it.
Open it from your dashboard
Its address and any login details are on its card. Start, stop, update, roll back or remove it from the same place, any time.

What this replaces

Doing it by hand means writing something like this, then keeping it working:

services:
  stirlingpdf:
    image: stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:2.14.3
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./stirlingpdf/config:/config

And that is the easy half. Still to do:

Install a reverse proxy and write a server block for it
Get a TLS certificate and set up automatic renewal
Create the folders above with the right ownership, or it will not start
Repeat all of it for the next app, and again on every server rebuild

On Cresdock, Stirling PDF is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run Stirling PDF?

No. Cresdock installs Stirling PDF in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. Stirling PDF's configuration is written before it first starts, so it opens already set up.

What happens to my Stirling PDF data when it updates?

Cresdock updates the Stirling PDF image and leaves its stored data in place. Stirling PDF keeps its own files in its own folder, which survives an update, a rebuild and a reinstall — and Cresdock never writes into it.

Can I run Stirling PDF at home instead of on a VPS?

Yes. Cresdock runs on a mini PC, an old desktop or anything that boots Debian, behind a normal home router with no port forwarding, and Stirling PDF is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when Stirling PDF must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove Stirling PDF later?

Yes. Cresdock removes Stirling PDF in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.

Looking for what Stirling PDF itself can do? That lives in its own documentation — this page is only about running it.

Pairs well with: Tududi · Uptime Kuma · Syncthing

Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs Cloudron