App Store template

Stirling-PDF

A self-hosted PDF toolbox for merging, splitting, conversion, OCR, compression, redaction, and other document workflows.

Launch in your Sealos workspace.

Source Deploy guide Website

Stirling-PDF template preview — Template previewFull screenshot

Template deployments: 13 on Sealos
Deployment: Your own instance
Category: Tools

About this template

Overview

Stirling-PDF is a self-hosted PDF toolbox for merging, splitting, conversion, OCR, compression, redaction, and other document workflows. This template deploys Stirling-PDF 2.14.2-fat with authenticated access, persistent storage, and an optional licensed PostgreSQL topology on Sealos Cloud.

From the documentation

Stirling-PDF serves its web interface and API on port 8080. The template creates one StatefulSet replica, four persistent volumes, a Service, an HTTPS Ingress, and a Sealos App entry. The volumes preserve OCR language data at /usr/share/tessdata, application configuration and the default H2 database at /configs, logs at /logs, and secured user files at /storage.

How to deploy Stirling-PDF

Choose Deploy now to start Stirling-PDF in your Sealos workspace.
Review use_postgresql, PREMIUM_KEY, SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME and the remaining settings in the deployment form.
Launch the template, then inspect the application status and resource cards in Canvas.

Resources to plan for

Start with the resources defined by the Stirling-PDF template. Review CPU, memory, persistent storage, and network allocations for every service in Canvas. Capacity needs depend on your data and workload; monitor usage as they grow.

Template configuration and setup

Access after deployment

Use the application URL or connection details shown in Canvas. Follow the deployment guide for first-time account setup or client configuration, and keep generated credentials available for that step.

Hosting and billing

Sealos monthly plans include compute, memory, storage, and traffic. Size your plan for all deployed services. Software licenses and external AI or API services may have separate terms and charges. Confirm the applicable plan and optional charges in Cost Center.

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For current cloud charges, refer to Sealos plan pricing. Upstream documentation may reference earlier billing models.

Deploy and Host Stirling-PDF on Sealos

Stirling-PDF Screenshot

About Hosting Stirling-PDF

Authentication is enabled for every deployment. The initial administrator credentials come from the required SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME and SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD inputs and apply to a fresh /configs volume.

Common Use Cases

PDF Operations Portal: Merge, split, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, and organize PDFs from a browser.
Document Conversion: Convert PDF, Office, image, HTML, and book formats with the fat image toolset.
OCR Workflows: Process scanned documents with persistent OCR language data.
Private Team Utility: Protect document tools and stored files with administrator login.

Dependencies for Stirling-PDF Hosting

The community topology uses Stirling-PDF's embedded H2 database and local persistent file storage. The licensed topology adds a KubeBlocks PostgreSQL 16 cluster when use_postgresql=true and PREMIUM_KEY contains a license key.

Implementation Details

Architecture Components:

Stirling-PDF: stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:2.14.2-fat, pinned to the official release whose multi-architecture digest is sha256:aa91c68b85992986302fbdb6735f2c0824e329304e43c814a9b77c9dd0dbe410.
Persistent storage: Four 1Gi claims for OCR data, configuration/H2, logs, and secured user files.
PostgreSQL: An independent KubeBlocks postgresql-16.4.0 cluster plus an idempotent stirling_pdf database initialization Job when PostgreSQL and a license key are configured.

License Boundary:

The default H2 and local-storage topology runs with the community license. Stirling-PDF gates custom PostgreSQL behind a valid Pro or Enterprise license. The template renders PostgreSQL resources only when use_postgresql=true and PREMIUM_KEY is non-empty; an empty key selects the community topology.

Why Deploy Stirling-PDF on Sealos?

One-click topology: Deploy the application, HTTPS route, persistent claims, and selected managed services together.
Managed credentials: PostgreSQL connection values come from Sealos-managed secrets.
Resource control: Tune CPU and memory from Canvas while preserving a single application replica.

Deployment Guide

Open the Stirling-PDF template and click Deploy Now.
Enter the initial administrator username and password.
Keep use_postgresql=false for the community H2/local-storage topology.
Enable PostgreSQL and enter a valid PREMIUM_KEY for the licensed topology.
Select the locale and advanced book/HTML conversion setting.
Wait 2-3 minutes for the StatefulSet and selected managed services to become ready, then open the generated HTTPS URL from Canvas.

Configuration

Name	Description	Required	Default
`SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME`	Initial administrator username for a fresh configuration volume.	`true`	User input
`SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD`	Initial administrator password for a fresh configuration volume.	`true`	User input
`use_postgresql`	Provision and use independent PostgreSQL. Requires Pro or Enterprise.	`false`	`false`
`PREMIUM_KEY`	Stirling-PDF license key for the PostgreSQL topology.	Conditional	Empty
`SYSTEM_DEFAULTLOCALE`	Default interface locale.	`false`	`en-US`
`INSTALL_BOOK_AND_ADVANCED_HTML_OPS`	Enable Calibre-backed book and advanced HTML conversion.	`false`	`false`

Topology Options

`use_postgresql`	`PREMIUM_KEY`	Runtime topology	License
`false`	Empty or configured	Embedded H2 + persistent `/storage`	Community
`true`	Empty	Embedded H2 + persistent `/storage`	Community fallback
`true`	Valid key	KubeBlocks PostgreSQL + persistent `/storage`	Pro or Enterprise

Troubleshooting

Initial credentials are rejected

The initial credential inputs apply once to a fresh /configs volume. Use the administrator account already stored in that volume after subsequent restarts.

The licensed PostgreSQL topology remains on H2

Enter a non-empty PREMIUM_KEY together with use_postgresql=true. Stirling-PDF validates the Pro or Enterprise entitlement during startup.

Large conversions need more capacity

Increase the StatefulSet CPU and memory through Sealos Canvas before large OCR batches, book conversions, or concurrent team usage.

Additional Resources

License

Stirling-PDF's community code is available under the MIT License, with proprietary directories governed by their upstream licenses. Custom PostgreSQL requires a paid Stirling-PDF Pro or Enterprise entitlement. This Sealos template follows the template repository license.

From launch to everyday operations

Why deploy
on Sealos

A shorter path from an app you want to an app you can run. Sealos brings deployment and ongoing operations into one place.

One-click deployment
Start with a ready-made template. Review its configuration and launch from the Sealos console.
Managed Kubernetes
Run on managed infrastructure with built-in workload scheduling and recovery.
Automatic HTTPS
Give your application a public HTTPS endpoint with certificates managed for you.
Persistent storage
Keep application data on persistent volumes across container restarts.
Room to grow
Adjust CPU, memory, and replicas from the console as your workload changes.

One template. Connected resources.

You Get the Whole Stack

Sealos provisions the resources defined by your template and brings them together in your workspace.

App Service
Container workloads with configurable CPU, memory, and replicas.
Public HTTPS URL
An address for your app, with managed TLS certificates.
Database
A database provisioned alongside your app when the template calls for one.
Persistent Volume
Storage for the files and data your application needs to keep.
Environment Variables
Application settings and secrets configured in one place.
Logs & Metrics
Inspect container logs and resource usage from the console.