Run this PDF editor as a JAR server

What a JAR server is

A JAR server is Stirling PDF started with Java, not the Windows desktop window and not a Docker container. Official Windows Installation docs list three file names; you download one JAR, install Java JDK 25, run java -jar, and open http://localhost:8080.

Most people still start at Windows desktop or Docker. Use a JAR when you cannot run Docker and you are willing to keep JDK 25, and optional tools such as Tesseract, on the machine. Get the files from GitHub Releases.

Most of the public Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF repo is MIT (Copyright 2025 Stirling PDF Inc.); folders such as proprietary, saas, engine, desktop, cloud, and portal use other licenses. Do not treat a JAR as proof that the whole product is only MIT.

Java JDK 25 is required

Official server docs require Java JDK 25; on Windows they point at Temurin 25; desktop winget does not install this JDK for you. Docker does not use this JDK on the host in the same way: the image already contains what the container needs.

Check the runtime before you debug the JAR:

java -version

If java is missing or older than JDK 25, install JDK 25, open a new terminal, and check again. Then run the JAR from that same terminal so PATH is correct.

Optional extras on this path include Python 3.11.x, LibreOffice, Tesseract, QPDF, Weasyprint, and PDFtoHTML; official docs warn that Python 3.12 and newer can break unoserver. Install those binaries only when you need the conversion or OCR jobs they unlock.

Three official JAR names

Official Windows docs describe three files; use the table, then download one; do not mix two JARs on the same port.

Recommended download name on the current GitHub release is Stirling-PDF-with-login.jar; plain Stirling-PDF.jar is the other UI file. Do not rename them into something unofficial.

Download and start the JAR

1. Install Java JDK 25 so java -jar works.
2. From GitHub Releases, take Stirling-PDF-with-login.jar unless you need the plain or server-only file.
3. In the folder that holds the JAR, start it:

java -jar Stirling-PDF-with-login.jar

The docs also show the generic form for whichever file you chose:

java -jar Stirling-PDF.jar

4. Open http://localhost:8080 on the same machine. Sign in if you used the with-login JAR.
5. Change admin / stirling at first login, then merge a test PDF and save it on this machine.

To disable login on the with-login JAR, set SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false in the environment, then run the same JAR:

SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false

Prefer that over switching to Stirling-PDF.jar if you still want the extra features in the with-login build.

JAR versus desktop versus Docker

Desktop (winget, MSI, Scoop) is a window, no login, local merge split rotate sign; Docker is compose, image docker.stirlingpdf.com/stirlingtools/stirling-pdf:latest, login on, port 8080. JAR is JDK 25 plus a file from GitHub; Docker and JAR are the browser-server shape. Desktop is the Start-menu window.

If you already have Docker, you do not need a JAR for a first server; use PDF editor Docker. If you already have the desktop app and only needed merge and sign, you do not need a JAR. Use PDF editor download; reach for a JAR when official docs describe a machine without Docker.

Sharing http://your-server-ip:8080 on a LAN makes this a real server; change the default password. Do not point it at a public URL unless you meant to host it and you have read official security docs.

Self-host stays free up to 5 users; Server is about US$99 per month or about US$999 per year. Enterprise is custom; read Paid Offerings and stirling.com/pricing.

Optional tools sit in official docs

OCR, LibreOffice conversions, qpdf, and similar extras are optional JAR dependencies; official Windows docs place Tesseract next to the JAR extras list. After you change PATH or install Tesseract, restart the JAR; features stay hidden until their binary is actually on PATH.

For tessdata in Docker, use OCR a PDF instead of stretching this JAR path; for a first OCR job, Docker is usually simpler than a bare-metal Tesseract install. Modes keep the split: desktop local cannot OCR; a server you run can.

Safe-download notes: is it safe and download safe; skip Softonic, CNET, and random JARs that wrap the name.

Common questions

What JAR should I run for this PDF editor? Use Stirling-PDF-with-login.jar unless you have a reason not to. Official Windows server docs recommend it; it bundles UI and server and requires login, default admin and stirling. Stirling-PDF.jar is UI plus server with no login; Stirling-PDF-server.jar is API only, no bundled UI.

Does the JAR PDF editor need Java JDK 25? Yes. Official Windows server docs require Java JDK 25 (Temurin 25 is the Windows link they give). The desktop winget app is not this path and does not replace JDK; install JDK 25, then run java -jar on the file you downloaded from GitHub Releases.

Can I skip login on the with-login JAR? Yes. Set SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN=false as an environment variable, the same opt-out Docker uses; the plain Stirling-PDF.jar has no authentication module. Prefer the with-login JAR and opt out if you must, so you keep the extra features that JAR includes.

Is a JAR better than Docker for this PDF editor? Only if you cannot run a container and you can maintain JDK 25 plus optional tools. Docker is the usual server install; desktop is the usual personal install. JAR is the bare-metal server path in official Windows docs; pick one daily path so results land in one folder.

How do I open the JAR PDF editor in a browser? After java -jar succeeds, open http://localhost:8080 on the same machine. The process prints the URL in its console. To share on a LAN, use http://your-server-ip:8080 and treat that as a real server: change the default password, and do not publish it to the public internet by accident.