Introduction

PDFModo is a complete, self-hosted SaaS PDF toolkit that lets users merge, split, compress, convert, sign, watermark, and edit PDF files — all in the browser. You host it on your own server and monetise it with subscription plans via Razorpay or PayPal.

Tech Stack

Server Requirements

Required PHP Extensions

• mysqli — database connection
• pdo_mysql — PDO database driver
• mbstring — multi-byte string functions
• zip — required for PPTX/XLSX file creation
• gd or imagick — image processing
• json — API responses (usually built-in)
• openssl — secure token generation
• fileinfo — MIME type detection

Shared Hosting vs VPS — Feature Availability

Shared Hosting Setup — What to Ask Your Provider

Contact your hosting support and ask them to enable the following for your account:

• Un-restrict PHP shell functions — shell_exec, exec, passthru, system should not be in disable_functions.
• Ghostscript installed — ask if gs (Ghostscript) is available on the server. Versions 9.x or 10.x both work.

If the provider cannot enable these, the core tools (merge, split, rotate, watermark, add text/images) still work perfectly. Only PDF text replacement and compression are affected.

VPS / Dedicated Server Setup

Install Ghostscript:

# Ubuntu / Debian
apt install ghostscript

# CentOS / AlmaLinux / Rocky
yum install ghostscript

If using cPanel/WHM with PHP-FPM, ensure shell functions are not blocked. In WHM go to MultiPHP INI Editor → PHP-FPM Config for your domain and remove shell_exec,exec,passthru,system from the disable_functions line.

Apache Configuration

mod_rewrite must be enabled and AllowOverride All must be set for the project directory so the .htaccess file works correctly.

# In your Apache VirtualHost or httpd.conf
<Directory "/var/www/html/pdfmodo">
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Nginx Configuration (alternative)

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/pdfmodo/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php$is_args$args;
    }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Download & File Structure

Getting the Files

1. Download the ZIPDownload the PDFModo package from your purchase source or Git repository. The zip will be named pdfmodo-v1.0.zip.
2. ExtractExtract the zip. You will see a folder called pdfmodo/.
3. Upload to ServerUpload the entire pdfmodo/ folder to your web hosting public_html directory (shared hosting) or /var/www/html/ (VPS). You can use FTP (FileZilla), cPanel File Manager, or SCP.

Directory Structure

pdfmodo/
├── app/                    ← CodeIgniter application code
│   ├── Controllers/        ← Route handlers
│   ├── Models/             ← Database models
│   ├── Views/              ← HTML templates
│   ├── Services/           ← PDF processing services
│   └── Config/             ← App configuration
├── public/                 ← Web root (point domain here)
│   ├── index.php           ← Front controller
│   ├── install/            ← Installer wizard (deleted after setup)
│   ├── assets/             ← CSS, JS, images
│   └── .htaccess           ← URL rewriting rules
├── writable/               ← Runtime files (logs, sessions, uploads)
│   ├── uploads/pdfs/       ← Processed PDF files stored here
│   ├── session/            ← PHP sessions
│   └── logs/               ← Application logs
├── vendor/                 ← Composer PHP packages
└── .env                    ← Environment config (created by installer)

Set Folder Permissions

The writable/ directory must be writable by the web server. Run these commands via SSH:

chmod -R 775 writable/
chown -R www-data:www-data writable/   # Linux
# On cPanel, the owner is your cPanel username — no chown needed

Installation Wizard

PDFModo includes a browser-based installer. Once files are uploaded to the server, visit your site URL and you will be automatically redirected to the installer.

Step 1 — System Requirements Check

The first screen checks your server automatically. You will see a green tick ✅ for each passing requirement and a red ✗ for anything missing.

If a requirement fails:

Step 2 — Database Configuration

Enter your MySQL database credentials. The installer will test the connection and confirm the database is empty before proceeding.

Step 3 — Site & Admin Setup

Configure your site name, URL, and create the admin account for the control panel.

Step 4 — Installation Complete

The installer will:

1. Create all database tables (23 tables + 2 views)
2. Insert default plans (Free, Pro, Business)
3. Insert default settings
4. Create the admin account
5. Write the .env configuration file
6. Delete the install/ folder automatically

Click Go to Homepage to see your live site, or Admin Panel to configure settings.

Admin Login

The admin panel is completely separate from the user panel. It uses its own login system.

1. Open the admin URLGo to yourdomain.com/admin/login in your browser.
2. Enter credentialsUse the admin email and password you set during installation.
3. Click LoginYou will be redirected to the Admin Dashboard.

Admin Dashboard

The dashboard gives a real-time overview of your platform.

Dashboard Cards

Managing Users

User List

Shows all registered users with search and filter options:

• Search — by name or email
• Filter by plan — Free / Pro / Business
• Filter by status — Active / Banned

User Actions

Viewing a Single User

Click View on any user to see:

• Account details and registration date
• Current plan and subscription status
• All uploaded files with sizes
• Payment history
• Tool usage log
• Login activity

Plans & Pricing

Three default plans are created during installation. You can edit them to set your own pricing.

Editing a Plan

1. Click Edit next to any plan.
2. Set prices for monthly and yearly billing in INR and USD.
3. Set limits: storage, max file size, files per day, team members.
4. Toggle features: OCR, digital signatures, API access, watermark removal, priority support.
5. Save changes. Prices update immediately on the pricing page.

Payments

View all payment transactions across all users.

Tool Usage Statistics

See which PDF tools are used most, track success/failure rates, and monitor performance.

Site Settings

Control every aspect of the platform from one page.

General Settings

Guest Access Settings

Email (SMTP) Settings

Payment Settings

Coupons

Create discount coupons that users can apply at checkout.

Creating a Coupon

1. Click "Create Coupon"Opens the coupon form.
2. Set the codeE.g. LAUNCH50. Users enter this at checkout.
3. Choose discount type — Percentage (e.g. 50% off) or Fixed amount (e.g. ₹200 off).
4. Set limits — Max uses, expiry date, minimum order amount.
5. Save. The coupon is now active.

Registration & Login

Registering a New Account

1. Go to Register pageClick "Sign up free" from the homepage or navigation.
2. Fill in your detailsName, email address, and password (minimum 8 characters).
3. SubmitYour account is created with the Free plan. You are logged in automatically.

Logging In

Enter your email and password. Check "Remember me" to stay logged in for 30 days.

Google Login

If enabled by the admin (Settings → Google Login Enabled), users can sign in with their Google account — no password required.

Forgot Password

1. Click "Forgot password?" on the login page.
2. Enter your email and submit.
3. Check your inbox for a password reset link (valid for 1 hour).
4. Click the link and enter a new password.

User Dashboard

The dashboard is the home base for logged-in users. It includes:

• Storage Usage Bar — Visual display of used vs available storage
• Quick Upload — Topbar "Upload PDF" button to instantly upload and open the editor
• Quick Tool Links — One-click access to all PDF tools
• Recent Files — Last 5 processed files with download links
• Current Plan Badge — Shows Free / Pro / Business with upgrade prompt

Sidebar Navigation

My Files

All files processed by the user are stored here for 24 hours (configurable by admin). Actions available:

• View — Preview the PDF in browser
• Edit — Open in the PDF editor
• Download — Download to your device
• Rename — Give the file a custom name
• Delete — Remove file (frees storage space)

PDF Editor

Editor Layout

• Top Toolbar — All tools, zoom controls, save and download buttons
• Left Panel — Page thumbnails. Click to jump to any page. Drag to reorder.
• Main Canvas — The PDF rendered by PDF.js. This is where you interact.
• Right Panel — Properties of selected element (font, colour, size)

Toolbar Tools

Saving & Downloading

1. Click Save (or press Ctrl+S) to save all changes to the server. A green toast confirms success.
2. Click Download to download the saved PDF with all changes applied.

Page Operations

• Rotate Page — Click the rotate icon on any thumbnail in the left panel
• Delete Page — Click the trash icon on the thumbnail (cannot be undone)
• Reorder Pages — Drag and drop thumbnails in the left panel

Keyboard Shortcuts

PDF Tools Overview

All tools are accessible from the sidebar under Tools. Each tool has its own dedicated page with a drag-and-drop upload zone.

Merge PDF

Combine multiple PDF files into a single document.

1. Upload files — Drag multiple PDFs onto the dropzone, or click to browse. You can add files one by one.
2. Reorder (optional) — Drag file cards to set the order they appear in the merged PDF.
3. Click Process — The progress bar runs while files are merged server-side.
4. Download — Click the Download button to save the merged PDF.

Split PDF

Extract pages or split a PDF into multiple files.

1. Upload a PDF — One file at a time.
2. Choose split mode:

   • Split by range — e.g. pages 1-3, 4-6 → separate files
   • Extract pages — e.g. pages 2,5,8 → single file
   • Split every N pages — e.g. every 2 pages
   • Split into individual pages — one file per page
3. Click Process — A ZIP file is prepared if multiple files are generated.
4. Download — Single PDF or ZIP of multiple PDFs.

Compress PDF

Reduce PDF file size using Ghostscript. Ideal for emailing large documents.

1. Upload PDF
2. Choose quality level:

   • Screen — Smallest size, lower quality (72 dpi)
   • eBook — Good balance (150 dpi) — recommended
   • Printer — High quality (300 dpi)
   • Prepress — Maximum quality, largest file
3. Click Process — Shows original size vs new size and compression ratio.
4. Download compressed PDF.

Convert PDF

Multiple conversion tools are available:

All conversions follow the same steps: Upload → Click Process → Download.

OCR (Text Recognition)

Extract text from scanned PDF documents or image-based PDFs. Requires a Pro plan or higher.

1. Upload scanned PDF
2. Select language — English, Hindi, French, Spanish, German, etc.
3. Click Process — OCR runs via Tesseract (must be installed on server).
4. View results — Extracted text shown on screen and downloadable as .txt.

Sign PDF

1. Upload PDF
2. Create your signature — Three options:

   • Draw — Sign with mouse or touchscreen
   • Type — Type your name in a cursive font
   • Upload — Upload an existing signature image (PNG)
3. Place signature — Drag the signature box to the desired position on the PDF page.
4. Save & Download the signed PDF.

Saved signatures appear in My Signatures for reuse in future documents.

Watermark PDF

1. Upload PDF
2. Choose watermark type:

   • Text — Enter text, choose font, size, colour, opacity
   • Image — Upload a logo or image as watermark
3. Set position — Center, top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, or diagonal (tiled).
4. Set pages — All pages, first page only, last page only, or specific page numbers.
5. Process & Download

Account Settings

Profile

• Update display name and profile photo
• Change email address (requires password confirmation)
• Set timezone
• Update phone number

Change Password

1. Enter current password
2. Enter new password (minimum 8 characters)
3. Confirm new password
4. Click Save

Delete Account

Users can permanently delete their account from Account Settings. This removes all files, subscriptions and personal data. The action is irreversible.

Subscription & Billing

Upgrading a Plan

1. Go to Subscription from the sidebar.
2. Choose Monthly or Yearly billing — yearly saves ~16%.
3. Click Upgrade on the desired plan.
4. Complete payment — Razorpay or PayPal checkout opens.
5. Plan activates immediately after successful payment. Storage and feature limits update instantly.

Plan Comparison

Environment File (.env)

The .env file in the project root is the main configuration file. It is created by the installer and can be edited manually via SSH or cPanel File Manager.

CI_ENVIRONMENT = production        # production | development
app.baseURL = 'https://yourdomain.com/'

# Database
database.default.hostname = localhost
database.default.database = pdfmodo_db
database.default.username = db_user
database.default.password = db_password

# Security
JWT_SECRET = change-this-to-a-long-random-string

# Payments
RAZORPAY_KEY_ID = rzp_live_xxxxxxxx
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET = your_secret_here

# Google OAuth
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID = your_client_id.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET = your_client_secret

Setting Up Payments

Razorpay (Indian Payments)

1. Create Razorpay account at razorpay.com
2. Get API keys — Razorpay Dashboard → Settings → API Keys → Generate Test Keys (or Live Keys for production).
3. Enter in Admin Settings — Admin → Settings → Payment → Razorpay Key ID + Secret.
4. Set currency to INR for Razorpay.
5. Test — Use Razorpay test card 4111 1111 1111 1111 for test payments.

PayPal (International Payments)

1. Create PayPal Developer account at developer.paypal.com
2. Create an App — My Apps → Create App → get Client ID and Secret.
3. Enable PayPal in Admin → Settings → Payment → Toggle PayPal Enabled ON.
4. Enter credentials — Client ID and Secret.
5. Set mode to sandbox for testing, live for production.

Email Configuration (SMTP)

Email is used for password reset and account notifications. Configure SMTP in Admin → Settings → Email Settings.

Gmail SMTP Setup

1. Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account.
2. Generate App Password — Google Account → Security → App Passwords → Select "Mail" → Generate. Copy the 16-character password.
3. In Admin Settings, enter:
   Host: smtp.gmail.com, Port: 587, Username: your Gmail, Password: the 16-char app password.
4. Save and test by triggering a password reset from the login page.

Google Login Setup

1. Go to console.cloud.google.com → Create Project.
2. Enable Google People API (APIs & Services → Library).
3. Create OAuth Credentials — APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth Client ID → Web Application.
4. Add Authorized Redirect URI:
   https://yourdomain.com/auth/google/callback
5. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret into Admin → Settings → Auth Settings and your .env file.
6. Enable Google Login — Admin → Settings → Toggle "Google Login Enabled" to ON.

Troubleshooting

Checking Logs

# CI4 Application log
tail -f writable/logs/log-$(date +%Y-%m-%d).log

# Apache error log
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log     # Linux
tail -f /Applications/XAMPP/.../logs/error_log   # macOS XAMPP

Getting Support

If you cannot resolve an issue:

• Check the log file first — it will tell you exactly what PHP error occurred.
• Search for the error message on Google or Stack Overflow.
• Contact support with: your PHP version, server type, the exact error message from the log, and steps to reproduce.