Guides

Deployment Options

ComPDFKit for Web can be deployed on your infrastructure in two possible configurations:

Standalone — A JavaScript library that runs on the client

Server-Backed — The standalone JavaScript library backed by ComPDFKit Server

Comparing Deployment Options

Deployment	Standalone	Server-Backed
Deployed on your infrastructure
Backend	Any	ComPDFKit Server
Deployment method	Any	Docker

Browser Support	Standalone	Server-Backed
Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Safari
Edge
Firefox ESR

PDF Support	Standalone	Server-Backed
PDF
XFDF

Performance	Standalone	Server-Backed
Document rendering	Client-side	Server-side
Document streaming

Functionality	Standalone	Server-Backed
Viewer
Annotations
Forms
Signatures
Content Editor
Security
Document Comparison
Search
Print
User authentication	Built-in	Built-in

Annotation and Form Synchronization	Standalone	Server-Backed
Sync annotations and form data to a server	Not built-in	Built-in

Standalone Deployment

Using our JavaScript library, ComPDFKit for Web Standalone allows users to render and edit documents directly in the browser. This deployment is powered by WebAssembly technology, which doesn't require a server, plugins, or Internet access.

A client-only deployment has the following advantages:

Run faster — No need to deploy or maintain servers.

Lower infrastructure costs — Use the client-side to render and process PDF files.

Security and privacy — No need to upload data to servers over the Internet.

Server-Backed Deployment

ComPDFKit for Web Server-Backed uses ComPDFKit Server as a backend for ComPDFKit for Web Standalone. ComPDFKit Server is deployed on your infrastructure as a Docker container.

A server-backed deployment has the following advantages:

Real-time sync — Synchronize annotations and form field values to the server and across sessions.