ConvertX — The Complete Guide: A Private Conversion Website Running on Your Own Server
ConvertX is an open-source file converter installed with Docker on a server, NAS or office computer. You use it from the browser like a conversion website, but the files stay on your internal network. There is no official cloud service — you run it on your own hardware, free for any use including commercial.
ConvertX
C4illin (open-source project)
A file converter you host yourself with Docker, with a browser interface and support for over a thousand formats.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Proven engines under the hood — LibreOffice, Pandoc, ImageMagick, Inkscape, FFmpeg, Calibre and Assimp.
- Documents and images — Office files, PDF, vector graphics and many image formats.
- Audio, video and e-books — through FFmpeg and Calibre.
- 3D models — conversion between mesh formats through Assimp.
- Several users — password-protected accounts and batch conversion of several files.
Security tip before you start
Create the first account immediately after installation: until it exists, anyone who reaches the address can register it and take control. Keep the service on the internal network or behind a VPN, and do not expose it to the internet without a reason. Basic Docker skills are needed, and maintenance and updates are your responsibility.
Related tools
For a browser converter that processes most files on the user’s own computer — VERT. For document conversion from the command line — Pandoc. For a self-hosted PDF toolbox — Stirling-PDF.
VERT
VERT-sh (open-source project)
Open-source in-browser file converter: images, audio and documents are converted on your own computer without uploading them.
Get it from the vendor
Pandoc
John MacFarlane
A universal document converter — Markdown, Word, LaTeX, HTML and PDF, so a report is written once and exported anywhere.
Get it from the vendor
Stirling-PDF
Stirling PDF Inc.
Open-source PDF toolkit with dozens of tools — OCR, compare, redact, convert — as a desktop app or a self-hosted server.
Get it from the vendor
LibreOffice
The Document Foundation
A full office suite — documents, spreadsheets, presentations and drawings, compatible with Office files.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
The answer for an engineering office that wants the convenience of a conversion website without sending drawings and client documents to outside servers. It takes a little setup and saves a lot of privacy worries.