bentopdf/docs/self-hosting/index.md

# Self-Hosting Guide

BentoPDF can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure. This guide covers various deployment options.

## Quick Start with Docker / Podman

The fastest way to self-host BentoPDF:

```bash
# Docker
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest

# Podman
podman run -d -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest
```

Or with Docker Compose / Podman Compose:

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
services:
  bentopdf:
    image: ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest
    ports:
      - '3000:8080'
    restart: unless-stopped
```

```bash
# Docker Compose
docker compose up -d

# Podman Compose
podman-compose up -d
```

## Podman Quadlet (Linux Systemd)

Run BentoPDF as a systemd service. Create `~/.config/containers/systemd/bentopdf.container`:

```ini
[Container]
Image=ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest
ContainerName=bentopdf
PublishPort=3000:8080
AutoUpdate=registry

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
```

```bash
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now bentopdf
```

See [Docker deployment guide](/self-hosting/docker) for full Quadlet documentation.

## Building from Source

```bash
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf.git
cd bentopdf
npm install
npm run build

# The built files are in the `dist` folder
```

## Configuration Options

### Simple Mode

Simple Mode is designed for internal organizational use where you want to hide all branding and marketing content, showing only the essential PDF tools.

**What Simple Mode hides:**

- Navigation bar
- Hero section with marketing content
- Features, FAQ, testimonials sections
- Footer
- Updates page title to "PDF Tools"

```bash
# Build with Simple Mode
SIMPLE_MODE=true npm run build

# Or use the pre-built Docker image
docker run -p 3000:8080 bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest
```

See [SIMPLE_MODE.md](https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf/blob/main/SIMPLE_MODE.md) for full details.

### Base URL

Deploy to a subdirectory:

```bash
BASE_URL=/pdf-tools/ npm run build
```

### Custom Branding

Replace the default BentoPDF logo, name, and footer text with your own at build time:

| Variable           | Description                           | Default                                 |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `VITE_BRAND_NAME`  | Brand name shown in header and footer | `BentoPDF`                              |
| `VITE_BRAND_LOGO`  | Logo path relative to `public/`       | `images/favicon-no-bg.svg`              |
| `VITE_FOOTER_TEXT` | Custom footer/copyright text          | `© 2026 BentoPDF. All rights reserved.` |

```bash
# Place your logo in public/, then build
VITE_BRAND_NAME="AcmePDF" \
VITE_BRAND_LOGO="images/acme-logo.svg" \
VITE_FOOTER_TEXT="© 2026 Acme Corp. Internal use only." \
npm run build
```

Or via Docker:

```bash
docker build \
  --build-arg VITE_BRAND_NAME="AcmePDF" \
  --build-arg VITE_BRAND_LOGO="images/acme-logo.svg" \
  --build-arg VITE_FOOTER_TEXT="© 2026 Acme Corp. Internal use only." \
  -t acmepdf .
```

Branding works in both full mode and Simple Mode, and can be combined with all other build-time options (`BASE_URL`, `SIMPLE_MODE`, `VITE_DEFAULT_LANGUAGE`).

## Deployment Guides

Choose your platform:

- [Vercel](/self-hosting/vercel)
- [Netlify](/self-hosting/netlify)
- [Cloudflare Pages](/self-hosting/cloudflare)
- [AWS S3 + CloudFront](/self-hosting/aws)
- [Hostinger](/self-hosting/hostinger)
- [Nginx](/self-hosting/nginx)
- [Apache](/self-hosting/apache)
- [Docker](/self-hosting/docker)
- [Kubernetes](/self-hosting/kubernetes)
- [CORS Proxy](/self-hosting/cors-proxy) - Required for digital signatures

## WASM Configuration (AGPL Components)

BentoPDF **does not bundle** AGPL-licensed processing libraries in its source code, but **pre-configures CDN URLs** so all features work out of the box — no manual setup needed.

::: tip Zero-Config by Default
As of v2.0.0, WASM modules are pre-configured to load from jsDelivr CDN via environment variables. All advanced features work immediately without any user configuration.
:::

| Component       | License  | Features                                                         |
| --------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **PyMuPDF**     | AGPL-3.0 | EPUB/MOBI/FB2/XPS conversion, image extraction, table extraction |
| **Ghostscript** | AGPL-3.0 | PDF/A conversion, compression, deskewing, rasterization          |
| **CoherentPDF** | AGPL-3.0 | Table of contents, attachments, PDF merge with bookmarks         |

### Default Environment Variables

These are set in `.env.production` and baked into the build:

```bash
VITE_WASM_PYMUPDF_URL=https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@bentopdf/pymupdf-wasm@0.11.16/
VITE_WASM_GS_URL=https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@bentopdf/gs-wasm/assets/
VITE_WASM_CPDF_URL=https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/coherentpdf/dist/
```

### Overriding WASM URLs

You can override the defaults at build time for custom deployments:

```bash
# Via Docker build args
docker build \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_PYMUPDF_URL=https://your-server.com/pymupdf/ \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_GS_URL=https://your-server.com/gs/ \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_CPDF_URL=https://your-server.com/cpdf/ \
  -t bentopdf .

# Or via .env.production before building from source
VITE_WASM_PYMUPDF_URL=https://your-server.com/pymupdf/ npm run build
```

To disable a module entirely (require manual user config via Advanced Settings), set its variable to an empty string.

Users can also override these defaults at any time via **Advanced Settings** in the UI — user overrides stored in the browser take priority over environment defaults.

### Air-Gapped / Offline Deployment

For networks with no internet access (government, healthcare, financial, etc.). The WASM URLs are baked into the JavaScript at **build time** — the actual WASM files are downloaded by the **user's browser** at runtime. So you need to prepare everything on a machine with internet, then transfer it into the isolated network.

#### Automated Script (Recommended)

The included `prepare-airgap.sh` script automates the entire process — downloading WASM packages, building the Docker image, and producing a self-contained bundle with a setup script.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf.git
cd bentopdf

# Interactive mode — prompts for all options
bash scripts/prepare-airgap.sh

# Or fully automated
bash scripts/prepare-airgap.sh --wasm-base-url https://internal.example.com/wasm
```

This produces a bundle directory:

```
bentopdf-airgap-bundle/
  bentopdf.tar              # Docker image
  *.tgz                     # WASM packages (PyMuPDF, Ghostscript, CoherentPDF)
  setup.sh                  # Setup script for the air-gapped side
  README.md                 # Instructions
```

Transfer the bundle into the air-gapped network via USB, internal artifact repo, or approved method. Then run the included setup script:

```bash
cd bentopdf-airgap-bundle
bash setup.sh
```

The setup script loads the Docker image, extracts WASM files, and optionally starts the container.

**Script options:**

| Flag                    | Description                                      | Default                           |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| `--wasm-base-url <url>` | Where WASMs will be hosted internally            | _(required, prompted if missing)_ |
| `--image-name <name>`   | Docker image tag                                 | `bentopdf`                        |
| `--output-dir <path>`   | Output bundle directory                          | `./bentopdf-airgap-bundle`        |
| `--simple-mode`         | Enable Simple Mode                               | off                               |
| `--base-url <path>`     | Subdirectory base URL (e.g. `/pdf/`)             | `/`                               |
| `--language <code>`     | Default UI language (e.g. `fr`, `de`)            | _(none)_                          |
| `--brand-name <name>`   | Custom brand name                                | _(none)_                          |
| `--brand-logo <path>`   | Logo path relative to `public/`                  | _(none)_                          |
| `--footer-text <text>`  | Custom footer text                               | _(none)_                          |
| `--dockerfile <path>`   | Dockerfile to use                                | `Dockerfile`                      |
| `--skip-docker`         | Skip Docker build and export                     | off                               |
| `--skip-wasm`           | Skip WASM download (reuse existing `.tgz` files) | off                               |

::: warning Same-Origin Requirement
WASM files must be served from the **same origin** as the BentoPDF app. Web Workers use `importScripts()` which cannot load scripts cross-origin. For example, if BentoPDF runs at `https://internal.example.com`, the WASM base URL should also be `https://internal.example.com/wasm`.
:::

#### Manual Steps

<details>
<summary>If you prefer to do it manually without the script</summary>

**Step 1: Download the WASM packages** (on a machine with internet)

```bash
npm pack @bentopdf/pymupdf-wasm@0.11.14
npm pack @bentopdf/gs-wasm
npm pack coherentpdf
```

**Step 2: Build the Docker image with internal URLs**

```bash
git clone https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf.git
cd bentopdf

docker build \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_PYMUPDF_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/pymupdf/ \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_GS_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/gs/ \
  --build-arg VITE_WASM_CPDF_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/cpdf/ \
  -t bentopdf .
```

**Step 3: Export the Docker image**

```bash
docker save bentopdf -o bentopdf.tar
```

**Step 4: Transfer into the air-gapped network**

Copy via USB, internal artifact repo, or approved transfer method:

- `bentopdf.tar` — the Docker image
- The three `.tgz` WASM packages from Step 1

**Step 5: Set up inside the air-gapped network**

```bash
# Load the Docker image
docker load -i bentopdf.tar

# Extract WASM packages
mkdir -p ./wasm/pymupdf ./wasm/gs ./wasm/cpdf
tar xzf bentopdf-pymupdf-wasm-0.11.14.tgz -C ./wasm/pymupdf --strip-components=1
tar xzf bentopdf-gs-wasm-*.tgz -C ./wasm/gs --strip-components=1
tar xzf coherentpdf-*.tgz -C ./wasm/cpdf --strip-components=1

# Run BentoPDF
docker run -d -p 3000:8080 --restart unless-stopped bentopdf
```

Make sure the WASM files are accessible at the URLs you configured in Step 2.

</details>

::: info Building from source instead of Docker?
Set the variables in `.env.production` before running `npm run build`:

```bash
VITE_WASM_PYMUPDF_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/pymupdf/
VITE_WASM_GS_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/gs/
VITE_WASM_CPDF_URL=https://internal-server.example.com/wasm/cpdf/
```

:::

### Hosting Your Own WASM Proxy

If you need to serve AGPL WASM files with proper CORS headers, you can deploy a simple proxy. See the [Cloudflare WASM Proxy guide](https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf/blob/main/cloudflare/WASM-PROXY.md) for an example implementation.

::: tip Why Separate?
This separation ensures:

- Clear legal compliance for commercial users
- BentoPDF's core remains under its dual-license (AGPL-3.0 / Commercial)
- WASM files are loaded at runtime, not bundled in the source
  :::

## System Requirements

| Requirement | Minimum                             |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Storage     | ~100 MB (core without AGPL modules) |
| RAM         | 512 MB                              |
| CPU         | Any modern processor                |

::: tip
BentoPDF is a static site—there's no database or backend server required!
:::