Simple Mode for BentoPDF (the Self-Hosted build)

Simple Mode is what powers the Self-Hosted build of BentoPDF (bentopdf-simple). It is functionally identical to the Commercial build that powers bentopdf.com — every PDF tool is present and behaves the same. It just hides the marketing chrome (hero, FAQ, testimonials, footer) that only makes sense on the public bentopdf.com site or on a commercial public-facing deployment.

Simple Mode is not a feature-reduced "lite" version. Every PDF tool — merge, split, edit, sign, OCR, Office conversion, every other tool — works identically in both builds. The only difference is the marketing UI around the tools.

The Commercial build (ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest) is used by bentopdf.com itself and by commercial license holders running public-facing PDF deployments where the full marketing site makes sense.

What Simple Mode Hides

When enabled, Simple Mode hides the following bentopdf.com-specific marketing UI:

Navigation bar
Hero section with marketing content
Features section
Security/compliance section
FAQ section
Testimonials section
Support section
Footer

It also updates the page title to "PDF Tools" and makes the tools section more prominent. No PDF tools are removed or disabled.

How to Enable Simple Mode

Method 1: Using Pre-built Simple Mode Image (Recommended)

Use the pre-built Simple Mode image directly:

Using GitHub Container Registry (Recommended):

bash

# Docker
docker run -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest

# Podman
podman run -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest

Using Docker Hub:

bash

# Docker
docker run -p 3000:8080 bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest

# Podman
podman run -p 3000:8080 docker.io/bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest

Or with Docker Compose / Podman Compose:

yaml

services:
  bentopdf:
    # Using GitHub Container Registry (Recommended)
    image: ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest
    # Or using Docker Hub
    # image: bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest
    container_name: bentopdf
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '3000:8080'

Method 2: Using Docker Compose with Build

Build the image locally with Simple Mode enabled:

bash

docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml build --build-arg SIMPLE_MODE=true
docker compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

Method 3: Using Docker Build

Build the image with the SIMPLE_MODE build argument:

bash

docker build --build-arg SIMPLE_MODE=true -t bentopdf-simple .
docker run -p 3000:8080 bentopdf-simple

Method 4: Using npm Script (Easiest for Local Development)

Use the built-in npm script that handles everything:

bash

npm run serve:simple

This command automatically:

Sets SIMPLE_MODE=true
Builds the project with Simple Mode enabled
Serves the built files on http://localhost:3000

Method 5: Using Environment Variables

Set the environment variable before building:

bash

export SIMPLE_MODE=true
npm run build
npx serve dist -p 3000

🧪 Testing Simple Mode Locally

Method 1: Using npm Script (Easiest for Development)

bash

npm run serve:simple

This automatically builds and serves Simple Mode on http://localhost:3000.

Method 2: Using Pre-built Image (Easiest for Production)

bash

# Docker - Pull and run the Simple Mode image
docker pull ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest
docker run -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest

# Podman
podman pull ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest
podman run -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Method 3: Build and Test Locally

bash

# Build with simple mode
SIMPLE_MODE=true npm run build

# Serve the built files
npx serve dist -p 3000

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Method 4: Compare Both Builds Side-by-Side

bash

# Commercial build (the bentopdf.com look)
docker run -p 3000:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest

# Self-Hosted build (Simple Mode)
docker run -p 3001:8080 ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest

# Podman users: replace 'docker' with 'podman'

Commercial build: http://localhost:3000
Self-Hosted build: http://localhost:3001

🔍 What to Look For

When Simple Mode is working correctly, you should see:

✅ Clean "PDF Tools" header (no marketing hero section)
✅ "Select a tool to get started" subtitle
✅ Search bar for tools
✅ All PDF tool cards organized by category
❌ No navigation bar
❌ No hero section with "The PDF Toolkit built for privacy"
❌ No features, FAQ, testimonials, or footer sections

📦 Available Container Images

Self-Hosted build (Simple Mode) — recommended for self-hosting

GitHub Container Registry (Recommended):

ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest
ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:v1.0.0 (versioned)

Docker Hub:

bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest
bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:v1.0.0 (versioned)

Commercial build — used by bentopdf.com and commercial license holders

The full marketing site, including hero/FAQ/testimonials/footer. Pull this only if you specifically want the bentopdf.com look — for example, you're running a public-facing PDF deployment under a commercial license.

GitHub Container Registry (Recommended):

ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:latest
ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf:v1.0.0 (versioned)

Docker Hub:

bentopdfteam/bentopdf:latest
bentopdfteam/bentopdf:v1.0.0 (versioned)

🚀 Production Deployment Examples

Docker Compose / Podman Compose

yaml

services:
  bentopdf:
    image: ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest # Recommended
    # image: bentopdfteam/bentopdf-simple:latest     # Alternative: Docker Hub
    container_name: bentopdf
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - '80:8080'
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000

Podman Quadlet (Linux Systemd)

Create ~/.config/containers/systemd/bentopdf-simple.container:

ini

[Unit]
Description=BentoPDF Simple Mode
After=network-online.target

[Container]
Image=ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest
ContainerName=bentopdf-simple
PublishPort=80:8080
AutoUpdate=registry

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable and start:

bash

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now bentopdf-simple

⚠️ Important Notes

Pre-built images: Use ghcr.io/alam00000/bentopdf-simple:latest for Simple Mode (recommended)
Environment variables: SIMPLE_MODE=true only works during build, not runtime
Build-time optimization: Simple Mode uses dead code elimination for smaller bundles
Same functionality: All PDF tools work identically in both modes