PixConvert — Every tool you need for PDFs & Images

PixConvert is a free, privacy-focused, and open-source file conversion ecosystem. It enables users to convert, merge, protect, and edit files entirely in the browser, ensuring no data ever leaves the local environment.

📦 Installation

Option 1 — npx (no install, quick test)

npx pixconvert

Server starts on http://localhost:3001 by default.

Option 2 — npm global install + systemd service (recommended for production)

1. Install globally

npm install -g pixconvert

2. Install systemd service (auto-creates log dirs)

sudo npm install -g pixconvert
sudo /usr/local/bin/pixconvert --install

Always use the full path /usr/local/bin/pixconvert with sudo — sudo pixconvert resets PATH and may pick up the wrong binary.

This will:

• Create /var/log/pixconvert/ for logs
• Write /etc/systemd/system/pixconvert.service
• Enable auto-start on boot

3. Start the server

sudo systemctl start pixconvert

4. Manage the service

sudo systemctl start pixconvert      # start
sudo systemctl stop pixconvert       # stop
sudo systemctl restart pixconvert    # restart
sudo systemctl status pixconvert     # check status
sudo systemctl enable pixconvert     # enable on boot
sudo systemctl disable pixconvert    # disable on boot

5. View logs

# Access log (stdout)
tail -f /var/log/pixconvert/pixconvert_access.log

# Error log (stderr)
tail -f /var/log/pixconvert/pixconvert_error.log

6. Uninstall service

sudo pixconvert --uninstall

Option 3 — Clone from GitHub

git clone https://github.com/rushikeshsakharleofficial/pixconvert.git
cd pixconvert
npm install

Run the API server:

npm run server

Run the frontend (dev mode):

npm run dev

Run both (production-like):

npm run build
npm run server

Install as systemd service from source:

sudo node bin/pixconvert.js --install

⚙️ Configuration

Set these environment variables before starting (or edit the systemd service file):

| Variable | Default | Description | |----------|---------|-------------| | API_PORT | 3000 | REST API port (/api/v1) | | FRONTEND_PORT | 8080 | Frontend UI port | | API_RATE_LIMIT | 10 | Requests per minute per IP | | FILE_SIZE_LIMIT_MB | 50 | Max upload size in MB | | FILE_TTL_HOURS | 1 | Hours before temp files are deleted |

Example with custom ports:

API_PORT=3000 FRONTEND_PORT=8080 npx pixconvert

🔧 System Requirements

| Dependency | Purpose | |------------|---------| | Node.js 18+ | Runtime | | Ghostscript | PDF compression, repair | | LibreOffice headless | Office ↔ PDF conversions | | Tesseract OCR | OCR tool |

Install on Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install ghostscript libreoffice tesseract-ocr

🛠️ API

The REST API is available at http://localhost:3001/api/v1.

Full API documentation: API.md or open http://localhost:3001 in your browser.

✨ Latest Features

📊 Real-time Analytics Dashboard

Powered by Server-Sent Events (SSE), the dashboard provides live metrics on file processing trends. Features high-performance Glowing Line Charts and Animated Donut Charts.

👻 Animated Ghost 404 Page

A high-quality, animated 404 error page featuring a floating ghost mascot and an interactive FlowButton for quick redirection.

🖱️ Smart Navigation

A compact, organized navigation system that categorizes 40+ tools into collapsible sections.

🎨 Dual-Theme Support

Seamlessly switch between professional Dark mode and clean Light mode.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19, Vite, TailwindCSS, Framer Motion (High-end animations).
• Charts: Recharts with custom SVG filters.
• Backend: Node.js, Express 5 (Serverless-ready).
• Real-time: Server-Sent Events (SSE) for live metric streaming.
• Persistence: Atomic JSON local storage with 2-year data purging.
• Infrastructure: Docker, Nginx (Load Balancing), Auto-scaling.

🚀 Docker

The repo includes a portable production container setup:

• Dockerfile: Multi-stage build for frontend and Express server.
• docker-compose.yml: Full stack with Nginx edge and persistent volumes.
• nginx.scaling.conf: Configured for SSE support and load balancing.

docker compose up -d

🔒 Privacy First

• Local Processing: Heavy file operations happen in-browser via Web Workers.
• Zero Tracking: No user-identifiable data is collected.
• Open Source: Audit the code yourself.

📄 License

MIT