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ComPDF Generation — Open-Source Self-Hosted PDF Generation SDK & Platform

Generate business PDFs from HTML templates and JSON data with visual template editing, reusable templates, batch processing, and API integration.

Documentation • Website • Discussions

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Contents

• Why ComPDF Generation
• Features
• Quick Start
• User Guide
• Deployment Configuration
• Use Cases
• Open Source & Commercial Editions
• Comparison with Other Open-Source PDF Libraries
• License
• Support

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Why ComPDF Generation

ComPDF Generation is an open-source, self-hosted PDF generation SDK and platform for developers and teams that need reusable, template-based document workflows. It keeps deployment, templates, and workflow integration under your control.

Features

• Visual Template Editor — Create, test, and preview templates visually. Edit HTML directly when advanced customization is needed.
• Self-Hosted Web UI and API — Manage templates in the Web UI, then integrate workflows through API access and SDK capabilities.
• Structured JSON Data — Generate customized documents from JSON data sources.
• High-Volume Processing — Use multithreaded batch generation with no document-generation quota.
• AI-Friendly Workflows — Use structured templates and data inputs to support AI-assisted document workflows and reduce repeated prompt construction.
• Batch Template Import and Migration — Import DITO templates and ComPDF Generation templates in batches, making it easy to migrate smoothly from iText and other competing PDF generation solutions to ComPDF Generation. Imported templates can be edited as needed for flexible reuse.

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Quick Start

Windows PowerShell

Make sure Docker Desktop is installed and that you can pull the compdfkit/pdf-generation:1.0.0 image from Docker Hub. The commands below clone the project, copy the environment file, and start the services; wait until compdf-app becomes healthy, then open http://localhost:8090. .env.example includes a trial license, which adds a watermark to generated PDFs; for production use, replace COMPDF_LICENSE_KEY with a formal license and contact sales to obtain one.

git clone https://github.com/ComPDFKit/compdf-generation.git
cd compdf-generation
Copy-Item .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --build
docker compose ps

macOS or Linux

Make sure Docker Desktop (macOS) or Docker Engine with the Docker Compose plugin (Linux) is installed and that you can pull the compdfkit/pdf-generation:1.0.0 image from Docker Hub. The commands below clone the project, copy the environment file, and start the services; wait until compdf-app becomes healthy, then open http://localhost:8090. .env.example includes a trial license, which adds a watermark to generated PDFs; for production use, replace COMPDF_LICENSE_KEY with a formal license and contact sales to obtain one.

git clone https://github.com/ComPDFKit/compdf-generation.git
cd compdf-generation
cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d --build
docker compose ps

For a remote Linux server, open the same address from a browser that can access the server's 8090 port. Templates are stored in TEMPLATE_STORAGE_DIR, which defaults to ./data/templates; rebuilding the application container does not remove this data.

User Guide

See the Self-Hosted Generation User Manual for template authoring and data binding.

Deployment Configuration

Environment Variables

Before starting the services, you can configure the following variables in .env:

Variable	Default	Description
COMPDF_LICENSE_KEY	Required	A ComPDF License Key with PDF Generation or HTML-to-PDF permissions. The trial key in .env.example adds a watermark to generated PDFs.
COMPDF_IMAGE_PLATFORM	linux/amd64	Platform used by the compdf-app image. Change only if the image supports the target deployment platform.
NODE_IMAGE	node:22-bookworm-slim	Node.js image used to build the multi-stage Docker image for the Web and API services.
APP_PORT	8090	Port exposed for the ComPDF Generation Web UI and API. Change it if 8090 is already in use.
COMPDF_TIMEOUT_MS	120000	Maximum time in milliseconds for the Web/API services to wait for the ComPDF engine. Increase this for large or complex templates.
TEMPLATE_STORAGE_DIR	./data/templates	Host directory used to persist HTML templates, JSON data sources, and metadata. Use an absolute path if you need a fixed storage location.

docker compose ps
docker compose logs --tail=100 compdf-generation compdf-app

compdf-app must be healthy before PDF generation is available. Templates are stored in TEMPLATE_STORAGE_DIR (./data/templates by default), and rebuilding the application container does not remove this data.

Use Cases

• Automated contracts and agreements
• Invoices, statements, and financial documents
• Batch monthly, quarterly, and analytical reports
• Certificates and standardized proof documents
• On-demand PDF output for CRM, ERP, OA, and other internal systems

Open Source & Commercial Editions

Need production deployment, watermark-free output, or enterprise support? Upgrade to the commercial edition.

Capability	Open-Source Edition	Commercial Edition
Document generation API	✅	✅
HTML template design and import	✅	✅
Template management	✅	✅
Batch generation	✅	✅
Export without watermark	Watermarked	No watermark
Production use	Not recommended	✅
SLA / technical support	Community support	Dedicated support
License	AGPL v3	Commercial License

For production deployment, use a formal commercial License and follow your organization's operational and compliance requirements.

Comparison with Other Open-Source PDF Libraries

Dimension	ComPDF Generation	Other PDF Libraries
Positioning	Business document generation with easy, scenario-based template customization	Low-level PDF capability wrappers
Document generation	Batch generation with no output quota	Usually subject to certain limitations
Scenario focus	Contracts / invoices / reports / certificates	General drawing and layout
Templating	Zero-code visual HTML template editing, with import and reuse support	Requires custom development
Commercial path	Seamless upgrade to a commercial edition	Expansion often needs to be built independently

License

• The open-source portion of this project is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.
• For closed-source commercial projects, formal production environments, or enterprise delivery, please apply for a commercial License.

Support

Submit an Issue, join Discussions, or contact the ComPDF team for a commercial License.

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Built by the ComPDF team.

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