Unoserver API

A REST API for converting documents to PDF using LibreOffice via unoserver. Features memory-efficient streaming, comprehensive LibreOffice PDF export options, and Docker-based deployment.

Warning

Security Notice

It is NOT RECOMMENDED to expose this service directly to the internet. This should be deployed in a private network or behind authentication/authorization layers.

Features

• Universal Document Conversion - DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, images, and more to PDF
• PDF Export Options - Complete LibreOffice PDF export control including:
  • Watermarks (text and tiled)
  • Password encryption and permissions
  • Page ranges and selection
  • PDF/A compliance (1b, 2b, 3b)
  • Accessibility (PDF/UA and tagged PDFs)
  • Image compression and quality control
  • Bookmarks, forms, notes, and hidden slides
• Smart Conversion Modes - Automatic stream mode (≤10MB) or filesystem mode (>10MB) for optimal performance
• OpenAPI Documentation - OpenApi at /openapi with complete API specs
• Production Ready - Docker-based deployment with unoserver and LibreOffice pre-configured
• Memory Efficient - Streams PDF output in chunks
• Health Checks - Built-in /health endpoint for monitoring and load balancers

Supported Formats:

• Documents: DOCX, DOC, ODT, RTF, TXT, HTML
• Spreadsheets: XLSX, XLS, ODS, CSV
• Presentations: PPTX, PPT, ODP
• Images: PNG, JPG, JPEG, TIFF
• PDF: PDF (for applying options/re-processing existing PDFs)

Installation

Docker Compose

Create a compose.yaml file:

services:
  php:
    image: ghcr.io/ikerls/unoserver-api:latest
    ports:
      - "8088:8080"
    environment:
      UNOSERVER_TIMEOUT: 120
      UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE: 100M

Start the service:

docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Stop service
docker compose down

Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name unoserver-api \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e UNOSERVER_TIMEOUT=120 \
  -e UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE=100M \
  ghcr.io/ikerls/unoserver-api:latest

API Documentation

Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/health	GET	Health check endpoint (returns {"status":"ok"})
/convert	POST	Convert document to PDF with options
/openapi	GET	OpenApi file

Basic Conversion Request

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/convert \
  -F "file=@document.docx" \
  -o output.pdf

More examples

Parameters:

• file (required): Document file
• LibreOffice PDF export options as form fields

Environment Variables

Configure the service using environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
UNOCONVERT_BINARY	unoconvert	Path to the unoconvert binary
UNOSERVER_HOST	127.0.0.1	Host where unoserver daemon runs
UNOSERVER_PORT	2003	Port for unoserver connection
UNOSERVER_TIMEOUT	120	Maximum conversion time in seconds
UNOSERVER_STREAM_THRESHOLD	10485760	File size (bytes) to switch from stream to filesystem mode (default: 10MB)
UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE	100M	Maximum upload file size (e.g., 50M, 200M)

Setting variables:

Via Docker Compose:

services:
  php:
    environment:
      UNOSERVER_TIMEOUT: 300
      UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE: 150M
      UNOSERVER_STREAM_THRESHOLD: 20971520  # 20MB

Via Docker Run:

docker run -e UNOSERVER_TIMEOUT=300 -e UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE=150M ...

License

This project uses LibreOffice and unoserver. Please review their respective licenses:

• LibreOffice License (MPL 2.0)
• unoserver License (MIT)