How It Works
Inside the Forge: your documents never leave your control.
Dual Processing Modes
Choose the right engine for your task. PDF Forge operates in two distinct modes depending on the tool: browser-side WebAssembly for compression and conversion, and edge processing for server-assisted operations.
PDF compression runs entirely in your browser via Ghostscript compiled to WebAssembly (WASM). Files stay on your device — never uploaded. WebAssembly provides near-native performance by running compiled C code directly in the browser sandbox, achieving sub-second compression for typical documents.
PDF-to-image conversion uses Cloudflare Workers for scalable, geo-distributed processing across 330+ data centers. Files are encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, then auto-purged within 2 hours. Zero-knowledge architecture means we never have access to your document content.
Security Architecture
Your data, your control. PDF Forge implements a zero-knowledge architecture where document content is never accessible to our servers.
- No server-side storage: Browser-mode files never leave your machine. Edge-mode files are encrypted and deleted within 2 hours.
- End-to-end encryption: TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest. Zero-knowledge architecture — we cannot read your documents.
- Open-source core: Built on Ghostscript (AGPL v3) — the same engine trusted by enterprises for over 30 years — and pdf-lib (MIT). Our Ghostscript WASM integration is available for audit.
Three-Step Workflow
Simple, fast, secure. No account required for any free tool.
Drag and drop your PDF. Files up to 100MB supported on all plans. Browser-side processing handles files of any size on the free tier.
Choose compression level (screen, ebook, or printer) or output format. Ghostscript WASM processes the file in seconds — entirely in your browser.
Instant results. No account required for free tools. Files are never stored and cannot be recovered after download.