i-net PDFC

1 Introduction

i-net PDFC is content-aware document comparison software by i-net software GmbH, founded in 1996. It compares PDF, DOCX, ODT, TXT, and image files (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and GIF) as well as scanned PDFs via OCR - as a desktop application, via the command line, as a server with a Web API, or embedded via Java and .NET APIs. Standard and Plus licenses are per desktop installation, the Server license is per server installation, and Cloud licenses are per node; the free trial version is valid for 30 days.

1.1 About i-net PDFC

PDF files are the standard format for exchanging documents in companies, government agencies, and private life - for contracts, reports, invoices, and much more. Finding the changes between two versions is challenging, especially when the files need to be compared by content rather than as binary data. The great strength of i-net PDFC lies in its analysis of document structure: it detects text changes, table modifications, style differences, formatting shifts, and moved paragraphs - not just inserted or deleted text - and optionally also compares visual elements such as shapes or images. The comparison can be flexibly limited to relevant content. Common scenarios include:

• Version control in document management.
• Quality control in the printing and publishing industry.
• Legal reviews, e.g., for contracts or patents.
• Auditing and compliance in regulated industries such as finance or pharmaceuticals.

i-net PDFC presents the results either in a comprehensive web application or as an export, for example as PDF, image, report, or JSON. The application is plugin-based and can therefore be adapted or reduced to suit different scenarios. On the server, the Dashboard application provides customizable overview pages for operational monitoring alongside Document Drive and comparison workflows.

2 Features

2.1 Content-Aware Comparison

The PDF format is characterized by high flexibility and broad support and is the standard for document transmission. However, PDF was originally designed for printing and, unlike DOCX, for example, often does not contain any information about the structure of the content, which makes automated comparisons of PDFs very error-prone.

i-net PDFC goes beyond simple text comparisons and performs a content-aware comparison. The software compares not only text, but also lines, shapes, images, and other visual elements. i-net PDFC does not perform simple text conversion or pixel-by-pixel comparisons, both of which would result in information loss. Instead, the software performs an in-depth structural comparison that takes styles, shapes, and much more into account. For tagged PDFs and PDF/UA documents, it also takes the available document structure into account. This makes accessibility-related changes easier to interpret.

A text-based comparison tool might find 5 text insertions. i-net PDFC finds those 5 - plus 50 style differences, formatting shifts, and structural changes that text-only tools miss entirely.

The differences are displayed as if you were holding two sheets of paper up to the light: deviations become visible directly in the document.

2.2 Controlled Sensitivity

For the most important comparison options, i-net PDFC offers Controlled Sensitivity: the interface shows only the options that really matter for the result while still allowing fine-grained adjustment of the comparison. Further settings are available through comparison profiles, the SDK for Java and .NET, and the REST API.

2.3 Filter and Analysis Plugins

Additional, optional filters and OCR plugins let you tailor the comparison to your requirements. For example, filters detect headers and footers automatically or via manual settings so that they do not cause unnecessary differences, recognize multi-column layouts and tables, or exclude specific areas from the comparison. The available filters are described in the section Comparison Settings.

2.4 Visual Representation of Differences

As a desktop or web application, i-net PDFC offers an interactive display of the comparison results. The display includes the original documents with a comparison and highlighting of all differences, an optional textual list of these differences, and extensive configuration options for the display.

2.5 Export and Report

With Export and Report, you can create summary reports on the differences in the documents. You can also print or export the documents with highlighted differences as new PDFs. All detected differences are inserted into the PDF as annotations. For PDF export, you can configure the paper format, a page filter (only pages with differences), password protection, the displayed differences and filters, and the colors of the change types, among other things.

The available formats depend on how you run the comparison:

Method	Export formats
Desktop application	Print, PDF (optionally password-protected), PNG (multi-page as ZIP archive), report as PDF, XLS, XLSX, ODS, or RTF
Web application (server)	PDF
Command line (Plus)	Print, PDF, PNG, difference images, report as PDF, XLS, XLSX, ODS, or RTF; summary as JSON via plugin
Task Planner (server)	PDF, images, report, JSON, or text log (one format per task)
REST API (server)	PDF, report (PDF, XLS, XLSX, ODS, RTF), log; difference count and log also as JSON

3 Areas of Application

3.1 Supported File Formats

i-net PDFC supports a wide range of file formats for comparison. The main formats that i-net PDFC supports natively are:

• PDF files: all PDF versions; not evaluated are, among other things, XFA forms, interactive form fields, and rich media and embedded files
• Microsoft Word: DOCX files with full formatting
• OpenDocument: ODT files
• Image formats: PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and GIF; multi-page image documents as a ZIP archive
• Text files: TXT (plain text) in various encodings

Additional functions for special use cases are:

• OCR functionality: Text recognition in scanned PDFs and images with a resolution of at least 300 DPI
• Multilingual text recognition: Support for various languages
• Combined comparisons: Any combination of file formats in a comparison

3.2 Detectable Changes

i-net PDFC detects a wide range of changes, such as detailed changes in text content and formatting. These include:

• Text modifications: Added, deleted, or changed text
• Font and style changes: Changes in font, font size, font color, and font style
• Formatting changes: Bold, italics, underlined, and other text formatting

Visual and structural changes are also recognized with precision:

• Object placement: Position and size of graphics, tables, and other objects
• Object styles: Changes in line thickness, color, and other visual properties
• Tables and columns: Detection and comparison of data in tables and columns

Document structures and organization are also monitored:

• Page layout: Changes in page structure and layout
• Headers and footers: Changes to the document's headers and footers
• Page numbering: Changes in page numbering and structure

3.3 Use Cases by Target Group

• For individual users:
  • Version control: Tracking changes in personal documents
  • Quality control: Reviewing documents before sharing them
  • Legal reviews: Comparing contracts and legal documents
• For teams and companies:
  • Auditing and compliance: Monitoring changes in regulated industries
  • Change management: Tracking changes in technical documentation
  • Workflow integration: Automated document comparisons in existing processes
• For developers:
  • CI/CD integration: Automated document comparisons in build pipelines
  • Unit testing: Integration into the JUnit (Java) and NUnit (.NET) test frameworks
  • Embedding: Integration into your own applications via the SDK for Java and .NET

4 Product Variants

4.1 Desktop Application

The desktop application of i-net PDFC is designed for single users on a single device. It offers full comparison functionality without the administrative overhead of the server application. All files are stored on the user's local computer.

The desktop application offers these advantages for single users:

• Full comparison functionality
• Local data storage - comparison documents and data remain on your computer
• Easy installation and immediate use
• No network dependency for comparison
• For occasional comparisons and single workstations

4.2 Server Application

The i-net PDFC Server allows multiple users to create comparisons with their own user accounts. You can save files and comparison results, use the Task Planner, or access the Web API. The server includes these applications and features, which are described in the following chapters:

• Web application for document comparisons in the browser with drag & drop upload and sharing of profiles and results
• Document Drive and Dashboard application
• Task Planner for time-controlled and event-driven comparisons
• REST API and JUnit and NUnit libraries for automated tests
• User and group management with a quota system, and the Configuration Manager for all server settings
• Statistics and diagnostics application for monitoring the server
• Plugin Store for updates and new features

The web interface is secured by a permission system that allows individual functions to be enabled or disabled per user or group. This way, different user groups receive different ranges of functions.

Almost all applications on the server offer a search. Access is via http://<hostname>:<port> or, when running in an application server such as Apache Tomcat (Jakarta EE), via http://<hostname>:<port>/<servletcontext>.

5 Advanced Features

5.1 Document Drive

The Document Drive is a central storage location on the server where users can directly store and manage documents for comparisons. Together with system and document permissions, the Drive application provides an easy way to manage visibility and access to documents for users and groups.

The Document Drive offers these features for centralized document management:

• Centralized storage: Documents are stored on the server
• Permission management: Granular control over access rights for users and groups
• Web-based management: Interface for searching, loading, modifying, and saving documents
• Drag & drop upload: Document upload via drag & drop
• Folder structure: Storage in user-defined directories
• Mounts: External directories and services, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, can be integrated via mount

Drive is integrated into the comparison features of i-net PDFC, so users switch between document management and comparison without external tools or file transfers:

• Direct comparison: Documents can be selected directly from Drive for individual comparisons
• Comparison profiles: Storage and reuse of comparison profiles
• Result storage: Comparison results can be archived in Drive
• Task Planner: Batch comparisons are executed via the Task Planner, not directly from Drive

5.2 Dashboard Application

The server platform includes the Dashboard application: customizable overview pages with a flexible widget grid, drag-and-drop layout, real-time updates, and sharing with users and groups. Visualizations include values, gauges, charts, tables, traffic lights, and related types; dashboards can be imported and exported as .dashboard files. System widgets support day-to-day operations (for example resource usage, certificates, HTTP checks, and diagnostics) alongside Document Drive and comparison workflows in the web interface.

5.3 Automation with the Task Planner

The Task Planner allows you to run document comparisons on a time-controlled or event-driven basis. It is available as a plugin and can be used from the Server license upward, including the Private Cloud, Public Cloud, and Site licenses; the Standard and Plus licenses do not include it.

• Time-controlled comparisons: Regular document comparisons at specified times
• Event-driven comparisons: Automatic execution when files are changed or API calls are made
• Batch comparisons: Comparison of entire directory structures with identical file names
• Distribution: Comparison results can be distributed via email, FTP, file system, or Drive
• Output formats: PDF, images, report, JSON, or text log (one format per task)
• System tasks: Automation of backups and maintenance tasks

Typical use cases are regular document checks (for example daily or weekly comparisons of document versions), compliance checks, and the automation of existing business processes.

The Task Planner can be extended with plugins that add custom targets and custom actions. Task Planner definitions are also available through the Web API, and each task has a separate execution history. This makes automated comparisons traceable.

5.4 Integration, Interfaces, and APIs

i-net PDFC runs as a desktop application or as a server and can be embedded in your own applications via the SDK for Java and .NET. The Plus license adds the command line for local batch comparisons and the SDK for Java and .NET. The Server license adds the REST API (OpenAPI), the Task Planner, and JUnit and NUnit support. These interfaces are available:

• REST API (Server license and up): Web-based interface for automated comparisons and external applications
• AI queries in the Task Planner (Server license and up): Select enabled tools and response formats such as text, HTML, or Markdown
• Command line (Plus license): Batch comparisons for scripts and build pipelines
• SDK for Java and .NET (Plus license): Direct integration into existing applications
• JUnit/NUnit libraries (Server license and up): Automated testing in continuous integration environments

The AI functions are configured on the server and protected by permissions. See the AI integration documentation and the version information for details.

5.4.1 Command Line

The command line enables automated batch comparisons, for example in scripts or build pipelines, with these configuration options:

• Batch comparisons: Automatic comparison of entire directories with identical file names
• Export formats: see Export and Report
• Configurable output: Difference images, XOR differences, page views
• Advanced options: Password-protected PDFs, page filters, scaling, landscape format
• Troubleshooting: Detailed analysis with page views and logging

5.4.2 Test Integration

i-net PDFC offers special libraries for integration into unit tests, enabling developers to incorporate document comparisons directly into their test suites. The libraries verify documents against an i-net PDFC Server on the network and therefore require a Server, Cloud, or Site license.

• JUnit (Java): Integration via the pdfcjunit library for Java-based projects
• NUnit (.NET): Integration via the PDFCNUnit library for .NET-based projects

This way, PDFs can be checked for changes in unit tests, also with different comparison profiles, and manual checks become unnecessary. For more details, see the JUnit documentation and the NUnit documentation.

5.5 Comparison View and Collaboration

The web application offers features that let users analyze complex documents accurately and manage and share the results.

The comparison view is built for analyzing document differences. The synchronized display lets users identify changes without having to switch between different views. The comparison sidebar also provides search, contextual help, remembered settings, and recommendations.

• Synchronized scroll view: Documents are synchronized on a virtual line so that text and differences can be viewed side by side
• Interactive difference marking: Differences are visually marked and connected with lines
• Tooltip details: Detailed difference information is displayed when hovering over the marked areas
• Difference list: List of all changes found with direct navigation

Comparison profiles let you adapt i-net PDFC to different document types and use cases. Administrators can provide predefined profiles. Users can customize profiles for their needs, derive them from existing profiles, and set up repeatable comparison workflows.

• Predefined profiles: Tuned settings for different document types
• Customizable settings: Duplication and customization of profiles for special requirements
• Administrator profiles: Publication of user-defined profiles by administrators
• Import/export: Portable profiles between the desktop application, API, and server installations

Collaboration features let users share comparisons with specific colleagues while retaining control over permissions and visibility.

• Group sharing: Share comparisons with selected users and groups
• Link sharing: Generate links for sharing
• Permission management: Control visibility and editing rights
• Title management: Describe comparisons for better organization
• Real-time presence: Display active users with avatars and usernames
• Temporary comparisons: Automatic deletion without a title, permanent storage with a title

5.6 Comparison Settings

i-net PDFC offers these settings for precise document comparisons:

• Comparison modes:
  • Standard mode: Focus on continuous text flow, tolerates shifts caused by inserted elements
  • Strict mode: Exact positioning required, all elements must be in identical positions
• Filters:
  • Table detection: Automatic recognition and cell-based comparison of tables. A local AI model also detects tables without visible borders; it requires Python and downloads up to 1 GB of dependencies from the internet on first use. Tables can be compared by key columns: by the first column or by 1 to 3 automatically detected columns.
  • Multi-column layout: Text recognition for newspaper and magazine layouts
  • Headers and footers: Automatic or manual detection and exclusion of headers and footers
  • OCR: Text recognition with language support and error correction
  • Area filter: Pixel-precise definition of comparison areas across all pages
• Text comparison:
  • Tolerance settings: Configurable deviations for text position and size
  • Style comparison: Font, size, color, and style can be checked separately
  • Language support: Automatic language recognition or manual language selection
  • Character normalization: Decomposition of complex characters and ligatures
• Image and object comparison:
  • Color tolerance: Configurable tolerance for color differences in images
  • Line and shape comparison: Comparison of vector graphics with tolerance settings
  • Annotations: Optional comparison of PDF annotations
  • Metadata comparison: Comparison of image metadata (DPI, format, color model)

6 Technical Aspects

6.1 Processing Large Documents

i-net PDFC is designed to work efficiently even with large and complex documents. A typical text comparison of 200 pages completes in under 3 minutes; the duration depends on hardware, profile, and documents. The queue system processes jobs in arrival order, runs them automatically as soon as the server has capacity, and prevents memory bottlenecks during parallel comparisons. Waiting jobs can be interrupted. This way, PDF files with several hundred pages or high-resolution content are processed reliably.

i-net PDFC only starts comparisons without queuing if at least 15% of the maximum process memory is available and a free executor thread is available. In addition, the predicted heap requirement of the documents to be compared is taken into account to avoid out-of-memory situations. Larger documents require correspondingly more free memory.

For large documents, i-net PDFC recommends 2 CPU cores and approximately 1 GB of heap memory per parallel comparison. These values may vary depending on the complexity of the documents - large documents with many images require significantly more computing power and memory than simple text documents.

To speed up the processing of large documents, the number of available job executors can be increased in the server configuration. This improves parallel processing and reduces waiting times for multiple simultaneous comparison jobs.

6.2 OCR and Missing Character Mapping

A common problem with PDF documents is missing character mapping. This problem occurs when PDF files are displayed correctly but the internal character mapping is missing or damaged. As a result, the text appears corrupt in the comparison result or becomes illegible when copied and pasted. In detail, this means:

• Visually correct display: The PDF is displayed correctly in the viewer
• Corrupt text processing: The text appears as illegible characters in the comparison result
• Copy-paste problems: When copying and pasting, the text is also displayed corruptly
• Comparison errors: Differences are not recognized correctly because the text is not machine-readable

The reason for this is that PDF files require a character mapping table to translate visual characters into machine-readable text. If this mapping is missing, the software cannot interpret the text correctly, even though it is displayed correctly.

The solution is a special filter for OCR-based text recovery. This filter:

• Automatically detects missing character mappings
• Uses OCR technology to reconstruct the correct character mapping
• Restores the machine-readable text representation
• Improves accuracy as the amount of text increases - more text leads to higher OCR accuracy

This technique can be used, for example, for:

• Scanned documents with missing text layers
• Converted PDFs with defective character mappings
• Older PDF files with outdated encoding standards
• Documents from different sources with inconsistent character mappings

Through the automatic detection and correction of character mapping problems, i-net PDFC enables reliable comparisons even with such PDF files.

6.3 Performance Optimization

Stable server processing is achieved when the available memory is used in a targeted manner. The JVM heap can be adjusted and tuned to the available RAM using the -Xmx parameter. This ensures that the application has sufficient reserves without overloading the system.

Further optimizations are achieved by setting cache limits or by dividing large documents into smaller segments. This keeps memory requirements manageable and lets even extensive document comparisons run reliably.

7 Administration

7.1 User and Group Management

i-net PDFC has a user and group management for the central management of users, groups, and permissions.

7.1.1 Central User Management

• Full user accounts: Users have full accounts with multiple means of authentication
• Multiple authentication: A user can use multiple login providers for the same account, e.g., Windows AD and GitHub
• User-defined groups: Creation of custom groups independent of external authentication systems
• Group assignments: Users can be assigned to multiple groups
• Permission management: Configuration of permissions for applications and functions
• Effective permissions: Review of a user's cumulative, effective permissions

7.1.2 Data Protection Features (GDPR)

• Access to own data: Users can view information stored about them
• Transparency: Overview of collected and processed data
• Account control: Users have control over their own accounts

7.1.3 Quota System

The integrated quota system limits and monitors storage usage:

• User quotas: Individual storage space limits for each user
• Usage monitoring: Real-time display of quota usage in the toolbar
• Management: Administrators can adjust and manage quotas
• Cleanup: Old comparisons can be deleted to free up storage space
• Upload restrictions: Protection against excessive storage usage through document size limits

7.2 Authentication

i-net PDFC includes built-in authentication. It does not have to be used if the host application handles authentication itself. The focus is on easy sign-in via single sign-on (SSO): additional plugins support identity management systems such as OAuth, LDAP, Windows, and PAM. Users and groups can also be provisioned via SCIM v2, for example from Microsoft Entra ID.

If no central authentication system is available, users can be stored directly with a password. Passwords are stored only as salted hashes. The rules for password complexity are adjustable.

For even greater security, two-factor authentication or passkeys can be used. If two-factor authentication is enforced, each user must provide a second factor the next time they log in. Depending on the server configuration, token-based authentication via app, email, or hardware key, among other options, is available for this purpose.

7.3 System Monitoring and Diagnostics

Administrators have access to server statistics via dedicated applications while the server is in operation. Among other things, the following is displayed:

• Session statistics: How many sessions there were and currently are
• Comparison statistics: Which documents were compared and how often
• Log file access: The diagnostics application displays the log files directly and finds specific entries via a search, for example for error diagnosis and performance optimization

7.4 Security and Data Protection

For document comparisons, documents and comparison data stay within your environment: locally on your computer with the i-net PDFC desktop application, or on your own server with i-net PDFC Server. i-net PDFC does not send this data to third parties for comparison.

Separately, optional server features can connect to external services, such as AI providers. Those services receive the data sent for the configured feature.

• Temporary files: are managed securely and deleted automatically after the comparison is complete
• Sessions: Each comparison session is treated in isolation; session IDs are complex and cannot be guessed; inactive sessions are cleaned up automatically
• Data minimization: Only necessary data is processed
• Deletion: Automatic and manual deletion of comparison data
• Access control: Granular permissions for different user groups
• Transparency: Traceable control over locally processed data and configured integrations

8 Licensing

8.1 Overview

License	Deployment	Users	Key Feature	Best For
Standard	Desktop, local	1	Direct comparison, data stays on device	Individual users, occasional comparisons
Plus	Desktop + command line	1	Batch comparison, SDK for Java and .NET	Developers, batch processing
Server	On-premises	Unlimited	Web access, REST API, Task Planner, JUnit/NUnit	Teams, sensitive data, high automation
Private Cloud	Private cloud, VPN	Unlimited	VPN-accessible server	Multi-site with VPN
Public Cloud	Public internet	Unlimited	Public web access (port 80/443)	Distributed teams without VPN
Site	Company site (DNS)	Unlimited	Multiple instances per site	Multi-instance deployments

The features are distributed across the licenses as follows:

Feature	Standard	Plus	Server	Private/Public Cloud	Site
Command line, SDK for Java and .NET	-	yes	-	-	-
Web application, Document Drive, Dashboard	-	-	yes	yes	yes
REST API, Task Planner, JUnit/NUnit	-	-	yes	yes	yes
Running in containers (e.g., Docker)	-	-	-	yes	yes

All licenses are available as a yearly or a perpetual license. Standard and Plus licenses are per desktop installation, the Server license is per server installation, and Private and Public Cloud licenses are per node; the Site license allows any number of installations at one site. Current prices are available on the i-net PDFC product page.

8.2 Standard

The Standard license allows direct document comparison in the desktop application. All application data remains on the computer. This license suits individuals who want to perform occasional comparisons locally.

8.3 Plus

The Plus license additionally includes the command line. It is particularly suitable for batch comparison of documents located on the computer. The Plus license also includes the SDK for Java and .NET, which developers use to embed i-net PDFC in their own applications. The REST API is only included from the Server license upward.

8.4 Server License

The Server license allows documents to be compared on the licensed server; it applies per server installation. The documents and comparisons are accessed via a browser and, depending on user permissions, by an unlimited number of users. In addition, the server allows document comparisons via the REST API and automated via the Task Planner.

This license suits teams with multiple users, companies with remote working models, organizations with high automation requirements, and companies with sensitive data.

8.5 Private Cloud License

The server can be deployed on a server within a private cloud network and must be accessible via a preconfigured URL. This license suits companies with distributed locations but with access to the private cloud via VPN.

8.6 Public Cloud License

The server can be publicly accessible from the internet via ports 80 or 443 (standard HTTP/s ports). This license suits companies with distributed locations without VPN.

Cloud licenses do not allow running features of the desktop or Plus license.

8.7 Site License

The server can be used as often as desired at one location within the company network. i-net PDFC identifies the site by a hostname that can be verified via DNS (without internet access) or alternatively by a reverse DNS lookup of the company's external internet address.

This license suits companies that want to use i-net PDFC multiple times within a company location.

8.8 Requirements per License Type

8.8.1 Standard, Plus, and Server Licenses

These conditions apply to desktop computers with a Standard or Plus license as well as to servers with a Server license:

• The computer must be physical and must not be hosted in the cloud (e.g., AWS/EC2, Azure)
• The computer must have a static, physically connected IP address
• The static IP address and the network connection must not be provided via a Wi-Fi adapter
• The software must not run in a containerized environment (e.g., Docker); this requires a Site or Cloud license

8.8.2 Private Cloud License

• Server must be accessible via a preconfigured URL
• URL must be set in the configuration under "Web server" → "Externally visible URL"
• The licensed URL must match the FQDN part of the configured URL
• Running in containers (e.g., Docker) is allowed

8.8.3 Public Cloud License

• Server must be accessible from the internet via port 80 or 443 (standard HTTP/s ports)
• Server must have a verifiable external FQDN internet address (DNS lookup)
• Running in containers (e.g., Docker) is allowed

8.8.4 Site License

• Server must have a hostname that can be verified via DNS (no internet required)
  • Example: Licensed domain is internal.my-company.com
  • Hostnames can be: testing.internal.my-company.com, production.internal.my-company.com, or similar
• OR the server must have a verifiable external FQDN internet address (reverse DNS lookup)
• Running in containers (e.g., Docker) is allowed

9 System Requirements

The following summary lists the most important minimum requirements. The system requirements for the current version in the online documentation are authoritative. An overview of supported versions, Java versions, and operating systems can be found on our version support page.

• Processor: at least 2 CPU cores for the desktop application and the command line, at least 4 CPU cores for the server and API; about 2 additional CPU cores per additional concurrent comparison
• Memory: 2 GB RAM for one comparison in addition to the requirements of all other components, 3 GB for two, and 6 to 8 GB for four concurrent comparisons
• Disk space: at least 1.5 GB (500 MB for the installation directory and 1 GB for the temporary directory); on the server, additionally about five times the stored file size per user, e.g., 100 users x 100 MB x 5 = 50 GB
• Operating systems: Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, 2016; Windows 11, 10; Linux; macOS 13+; Docker (production use with a Site or Cloud license)
• Java: The Java VM (Eclipse Temurin) is delivered with i-net PDFC. A graphical user interface is not required on the server.
• Application server (optional): Servlet 6.1 with WebSocket 2.2, e.g., Apache Tomcat 11
• Database: MongoDB for the optional cloud setup with multiple nodes
• Clients: current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge and a network connection to the server

10 Installation and Deployment

10.1 Installation

Installing i-net PDFC takes just a few steps and requires no in-depth technical knowledge.

• Installers for Windows, Linux, and macOS, as well as a Docker image
• Setup supports installation via dialog as well as text setup for Linux systems without a graphical interface
• Automatic configuration of default settings
• Integration with existing authentication systems (Active Directory, OAuth, and LDAP)

10.2 Docker Installation

i-net PDFC is available as a Docker image. Production use in containers requires a Site or Cloud license (Private or Public). During the trial, the container needs internet access to obtain the trial license; without internet access, please contact support.

• Docker image available on Docker Hub
• Quick start with: docker run -d -p 9000:9000 -e CONF_listener__port=9000 --name pdfc inetsoftware/i-net-pdfc-server
• Configurable ports and environment variables

11 Documentation and Support

11.1 Developer Documentation

• Getting Started: First steps with i-net PDFC
• Security Information: Security features and permissions
• Docker Container Setup: Deployment in Docker environments
• Command Line Access: Batch comparisons via the command line
• FAQ: Frequently asked questions and solutions

11.2 API Documentation

• Java API: Complete API reference for Java integration
• .NET API: .NET integration via DLL files from the SDK
• REST API: Comparison endpoints for server integrations; the server provides the complete Swagger file at /api/swagger.json
• JUnit: Integration into Java unit tests
• NUnit: Integration into .NET unit tests
• Plugin APIs: API documentation of further plugins for custom extensions

11.3 Version Support and Maintenance

i-net PDFC is released with two major versions per year (x.4 and x.10). In between, we release minor versions and updates so that improvements to the comparison engine reach our customers quickly. If you do not get the expected results for certain PDF files, please send us the files.

The x.10 versions are long-term support (LTS) versions and receive:

• General support: up to 5 years
• Critical bug fixes: up to 4 years
• Regular bug fixes: up to 3 years

The x.4 versions receive bug fixes and minor improvements for a maximum of 1 year. New features are only available in the next version.

A detailed overview of the currently supported versions, Java versions, and support cycles can be found on our version support page.

11.4 Support and Contact

Email support is included in your license. Support hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 - 17:00 CET/CEST. We respond within 24 hours on business days.

• Email support: pdfc@inetsoftware.de
• Documentation: docs.inetsoftware.de

12 Definitions

• Active Directory: Microsoft directory service for the central management of network resources
• Annotation: Comment or marking in a PDF document; i-net PDFC inserts detected differences into exported PDFs as annotations
• API: Application Programming Interface - programming interface for communication between applications
• CI/CD: Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery - automated building, testing, and delivery of software
• Command line (CLI): Command Line Interface - operating i-net PDFC via commands, e.g., in scripts
• Docker: Container technology for platform-independent provision of applications
• Docker Hub: Cloud-based registry for Docker images
• Document: any file format supported by i-net PDFC, such as PDF, DOCX, images, ZIP archives with images, or text
• Element: In the context of a comparison, an element can be a word, a character element such as a line or curve, an image, or an annotation
• Filter: Filters are optional components, usually plugins, that can exclude or modify elements from the comparison, or recognize the grouping of elements and thus improve the result
• FQDN: Fully Qualified Domain Name - complete domain name with hostname and domain
• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation - EU-wide legal regulation for the protection of personal data
• Heap: Memory that the Java VM reserves for objects; the upper limit is set with the -Xmx parameter
• HTTPS: HTTP over a TLS-encrypted connection
• Jakarta EE: Java platform for enterprise applications (successor to Java EE), the basis of application servers such as Apache Tomcat
• JSON: JavaScript Object Notation - lightweight data format for data exchange
• JVM: Java Virtual Machine - runtime environment for Java applications
• LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - protocol for accessing directory services
• LTS: Long-Term Support - versions with extended support (for i-net PDFC, the x.10 versions)
• OAuth: Open standard for secure authorization between applications
• OCR: Optical Character Recognition - text recognition in images and scanned documents
• On-Premises: Installation and operation of software on the company's own hardware
• OpenAPI/Swagger: Standards for the documentation and specification of REST APIs
• PAM: Pluggable Authentication Modules - authentication interface of Linux and Unix systems
• Passkey: Authentication method without a password, based on cryptographic keys
• PDF/UA: PDF/Universal Accessibility - ISO standard for accessible PDF documents
• Plugin: A functional extension of the i-net PDFC platform for additional features and integrations
• Plugin Store: Central point of contact for updates and installation of new functions
• Private Cloud: Dedicated cloud infrastructure for a single company
• Public Cloud: Publicly available cloud services from external providers
• REST: Representational State Transfer - architecture style for web services and APIs
• Reverse DNS lookup: Determining the hostname for an IP address via DNS
• SCIM: System for Cross-domain Identity Management - standard for the automatic provisioning of users and groups
• SDK: Software Development Kit - libraries and documentation for embedding i-net PDFC in your own applications
• SSO: Single Sign-On - authentication procedure for one-time login to multiple systems
• Tomcat: Apache Tomcat - Java-based web and application server
• Two-factor authentication: A user's access authorization is based on a combination of two different, independent identification components.

13 About Us

Based in Berlin, i-net software GmbH has been a reliable provider of Java-based software solutions since 1996. Our product portfolio includes tools for reporting, helpdesk, document comparison, and GDPR-compliant self-hosted team communication, which are used worldwide.

At the heart of our company is a commitment to technical excellence, long-term product quality, and customer satisfaction. Our experienced team of developers, designers, and consultants is passionate about ensuring that our software remains robust, user-friendly, and relevant to today's business challenges.