Hosting on Linux

IronSecureDoc on Docker

IronSecureDoc is a Docker container designed to give you powerful PDF manipulation behind a simple REST API, without the hassle and overhead of online SaaS services. This guide will walk you through the steps to host IronSecureDoc on your machine, including setting up environment variables and a basic example of using the REST API. For the full API, view our REST API Reference.

docker pull ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
docker pull ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
SHELL

Prerequisites

Before proceeding
Docker Desktop on Linux runs a Virtual Machine (VM) which creates and uses a custom docker context, desktop-linux, on startup.

This means images and containers deployed on the Linux Docker Engine (before installation) are not available in Docker Desktop for Linux.

Platforms

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Install Docker Desktop

If you haven't already installed Docker Desktop, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Docker Desktop download page.
  2. Download the Docker Desktop installer for Linux.
  3. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
  4. After installation, start Docker Desktop and make sure it's running.

2. Pull the "IronSecureDoc" Docker Image

Open a command prompt and pull the latest IronSecureDoc image from Docker Hub:

docker pull ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
docker pull ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
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3. Run the Container Without Certificate

Run the Docker container with the necessary environment variables:

Swagger UI in Browser
docker container run --rm -p 8080:8080 -e IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey=<IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> -e ENVIRONMENT=Development -e HTTP_PORTS=8080 ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
docker container run --rm -p 8080:8080 -e IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey=<IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> -e ENVIRONMENT=Development -e HTTP_PORTS=8080 ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
SHELL

Apply a Trial or License Key to Remove Watermarks

Tips
Replace <IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> with your actual IronSecureDoc license key. Otherwise, a watermark will be applied on Enterprise Features.

Swagger UI in Browser

4. Access the Container

Once the container is running, you can access IronSecureDoc by opening a web browser and navigating to:

http://localhost:8080/swagger/index.html
Swagger UI in Browser

You should see the IronSecureDoc interface, indicating that your container is running successfully.

5. Run the IronSecureDoc Container With Certificate

If you need to run the container with a certificate, follow these steps to generate the certificate and configure the local machine:

  1. Generate Certificate:

    dotnet dev-certs https -ep $HOME/.aspnet/https/ironsecuredoc.pfx -p <CREDENTIAL_PLACEHOLDER>
    dotnet dev-certs https --trust
    dotnet dev-certs https -ep $HOME/.aspnet/https/ironsecuredoc.pfx -p <CREDENTIAL_PLACEHOLDER>
    dotnet dev-certs https --trust
    SHELL

    Replace <CREDENTIAL_PLACEHOLDER> with a password.

  2. Run the Docker Container:

    docker container run -d -p 8081:8081 -p 8080:8080 \
    -e HTTP_PORTS=8080 -e HTTPS_PORTS=8081 \
    -e IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey=<IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> \
    -e ENVIRONMENT=Production \
    -v $HOME/.aspnet/https:/https:ro \
    -e CERTIFICATE_PATH=$HOME/.aspnet/https/ironsecuredoc.pfx \
    -e CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD=<CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD> \
    ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
    docker container run -d -p 8081:8081 -p 8080:8080 \
    -e HTTP_PORTS=8080 -e HTTPS_PORTS=8081 \
    -e IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey=<IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> \
    -e ENVIRONMENT=Production \
    -v $HOME/.aspnet/https:/https:ro \
    -e CERTIFICATE_PATH=$HOME/.aspnet/https/ironsecuredoc.pfx \
    -e CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD=<CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD> \
    ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest
    SHELL

    Replace <IRONSECUREDOC_LICENSE_KEY> and <CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD> with your actual IronSecureDoc license key and certificate password, respectively.

6. Managing the Container

You can manage your running container using Docker commands. Here are a few useful commands:

  • Stop the container:

    docker stop <container_id>
    docker stop <container_id>
    SHELL
  • Start the container:

    docker start <container_id>
    docker start <container_id>
    SHELL
  • Remove the container:

    docker rm -f <container_id>
    docker rm -f <container_id>
    SHELL

Replace <container_id> with the actual container ID or name.

Environment Variables

The container can be configured using the following environment variables:

  • PDF_MAX_SIZE_MB (Default: 30): Sets the maximum allowed file size for PDF uploads in Megabytes.
  • REQUEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS (Default: 5): Sets the timeout duration in seconds for API requests. A value of -1 allows requests to run indefinitely.
  • ALLOWED_ORIGINS: Configures Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) by specifying allowed origin URLs. Separate multiple URLs with commas. Use * or "all" to allow requests from any origin.
  • HTTP_PORTS: Defines the HTTP ports the container exposes. This should match the port mapping using the -p flag (e.g., 8080). Separate multiple ports with a semicolon (;).
  • HTTPS_PORTS: Defines the HTTPS ports the container exposes. This should match the port mapping using the -p flag (e.g., 8081). Separate multiple ports with a semicolon (;).
  • IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey (Required): Sets the IronSecureDoc license key. Important: Do not share this value publicly.

Basic Example: Redact Text in a Document

For the full list of API endpoints, refer to the full REST API Reference.

Redact Text

curl -X POST 'http://localhost:8080/v1/document-services/pdfs/redact-text' \
   -H 'accept: */*' \
   -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
   -F 'pdf_file=@/path/to/your/document.pdf;type=application/pdf' \
   -F 'words_to_redact="sensitiveWord"' \
   -F 'draw_black_box=true' \
   -F 'match_whole_word=true' \
   -F 'match_case=true'
curl -X POST 'http://localhost:8080/v1/document-services/pdfs/redact-text' \
   -H 'accept: */*' \
   -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
   -F 'pdf_file=@/path/to/your/document.pdf;type=application/pdf' \
   -F 'words_to_redact="sensitiveWord"' \
   -F 'draw_black_box=true' \
   -F 'match_whole_word=true' \
   -F 'match_case=true'
SHELL

Replace /path/to/your/document.pdf with the actual path to the document you want to redact and sensitiveWord with the word you want to redact.

Redact Regular Expression

curl -X POST 'http://localhost:8080/v1/document-services/pdfs/redact-regular-expression' \
   -H 'accept: */*' \
   -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
   -F 'pdf_file=@/path/to/your/document.pdf;type=application/pdf' \
   -F 'regular_expression="[0-9]"' \
   -F 'draw_black_box=true'
curl -X POST 'http://localhost:8080/v1/document-services/pdfs/redact-regular-expression' \
   -H 'accept: */*' \
   -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
   -F 'pdf_file=@/path/to/your/document.pdf;type=application/pdf' \
   -F 'regular_expression="[0-9]"' \
   -F 'draw_black_box=true'
SHELL

Replace /path/to/your/document.pdf with the actual path to the document you want to redact and [0-9] with the regular expression you want to match and redact.

Conclusion

You have successfully hosted IronSecureDoc on your machine and configured it with necessary environment variables. You also learned how to interact with the IronSecureDoc REST API using cURL for both basic and advanced operations. For further configuration and usage details, refer to the full REST API Reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this Docker container?

IronSecureDoc is a Docker container that provides powerful PDF manipulation behind a simple REST API, eliminating the need for online SaaS services.

What are the prerequisites for hosting the container on Linux?

To host IronSecureDoc on Linux, you need Docker Desktop installed on a compatible Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

How do I pull the Docker image?

You can pull the IronSecureDoc Docker image by running the command: docker pull ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest in your command prompt.

How can I run the container without a certificate?

To run the container without a certificate, use the command: docker container run --rm -p 8080:8080 -e IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey=-e ENVIRONMENT=Development -e HTTP_PORTS=8080 ironsoftwareofficial/ironsecuredoc:latest.

How do I access the interface?

Once the container is running, access the IronSecureDoc interface by navigating to http://localhost:8080/swagger/index.html in your web browser.

How do I generate a certificate for this container?

Generate a certificate using the command: dotnet dev-certs https -ep $HOME/.aspnet/https/ironsecuredoc.pfx -pand trust it using: dotnet dev-certs https --trust.

What environment variables can be configured in this container?

Configurable environment variables include PDF_MAX_SIZE_MB, REQUEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, ALLOWED_ORIGINS, HTTP_PORTS, HTTPS_PORTS, and IronSecureDoc_LicenseKey.

How do I redact text in a PDF document using the container?

Use the cURL command: curl -X POST 'http://localhost:8080/v1/document-services/pdfs/redact-text' with appropriate form data to redact specific words in a PDF document.

What is the command to stop a running Docker container?

To stop a running Docker container, use the command: docker stop.

Where can I find the full list of API endpoints for this container?

The full list of API endpoints is available in the REST API Reference on the IronSecureDoc website.

Chaknith Bin
Software Engineer
Chaknith works on IronXL and IronBarcode. He has deep expertise in C# and .NET, helping improve the software and support customers. His insights from user interactions contribute to better products, documentation, and overall experience.