Word to PDF Converter

A modern, full-stack web application that converts Word documents (.doc, .docx) to PDF format with a beautiful user interface and robust backend processing.

Features

• Fast and reliable Word to PDF conversion
• Drag and drop file upload interface
• Real-time conversion progress tracking
• Automatic file download after conversion
• Responsive design for all devices
• Secure file handling with automatic cleanup
• Support for both .doc and .docx formats
• File size validation (up to 10MB)
• Modern UI with smooth animations
• Toast notifications for user feedback
• Rate limiting for API protection
• CORS and security middleware
• Batch file conversion (planned)
• User authentication (planned)
• Conversion history (planned)

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 18 - Modern React with hooks and functional components
• Vite - Fast build tool and development server
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first CSS framework
• Axios - HTTP client for API requests
• React Hot Toast - Beautiful toast notifications
• React Icons - Comprehensive icon library

Backend

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime environment
• Express.js - Web application framework
• Multer - Middleware for handling file uploads
• Mammoth - Library for extracting text from Word documents
• PDF-lib - Library for creating PDF documents
• Helmet - Security middleware for Express
• CORS - Cross-Origin Resource Sharing middleware
• Express Rate Limit - Rate limiting middleware

Prerequisites

Important

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Node.js: v22.17.0 or higher
• npm: v10.9.2 or higher

You can check your versions by running:

node -v
npm -v

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/nayandas69/word-to-pdf-converter.git
cd word-to-pdf-converter

2. Install Dependencies

Install dependencies for all packages (root, backend, and frontend):

npm run install-deps

This command will:

• Install root dependencies
• Install backend dependencies
• Install frontend dependencies

3. Environment Configuration

The backend uses environment variables for configuration. The default .env file is already configured for development:

# Server Configuration
PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development

# CORS Configuration
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173

# File Upload Configuration
MAX_FILE_SIZE=10485760
ALLOWED_FILE_TYPES=.doc,.docx

# Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=900000
RATE_LIMIT_MAX_REQUESTS=100

Note

For production deployment, update the FRONTEND_URL to match your deployed frontend URL.

Development

Start Development Servers

Run both frontend and backend development servers concurrently:

npm run dev

This will start:

• Backend server: http://localhost:3000
• Frontend server: http://localhost:5173

Individual Server Commands

Start only the backend server:

npm run server

Start only the frontend client:

npm run client

API Endpoints

Health Check

GET /api/health

Returns the API health status and version information.

Convert Document

POST /api/convert

Request:

• Method: POST
• Content-Type: multipart/form-data
• Body: Form data with file field containing the Word document

Response:

• Success: PDF file download
• Error: JSON error message

Example using curl:

curl -X POST \
  http://localhost:3000/api/convert \
  -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
  -F 'file=@/path/to/your/document.docx'

Deployment

Frontend Deployment

The frontend can be deployed to any static hosting service:

1. Build the frontend:

   cd frontend
   npm run build

2. Deploy the dist folder to your hosting service (Netlify, Vercel, etc.)

Backend Deployment to Vercel

Important

Vercel supports Node.js serverless functions. The backend is configured for Vercel deployment.

1. Install Vercel CLI:

   npm install -g vercel

2. Deploy to Vercel:

   cd backend
   vercel

3. Set Environment Variables in Vercel dashboard:

   • NODE_ENV=production
   • FRONTEND_URL=https://your-frontend-domain.com
   • MAX_FILE_SIZE=10485760
   • ALLOWED_FILE_TYPES=.doc,.docx

Caution

When deploying to Vercel, be aware of the following limitations:

• Serverless functions have a 10-second execution timeout
• File uploads are limited to 4.5MB for Hobby plan
• Temporary file storage is limited in serverless environment

Alternative Backend Deployment Options

For better file handling capabilities, consider these alternatives:

• Railway: Supports persistent storage and longer execution times
• Render: Free tier with good Node.js support
• Heroku: Reliable platform with file system support
• DigitalOcean App Platform: Scalable with persistent storage

Security Features

• Helmet.js - Sets various HTTP headers for security
• CORS - Configured for specific frontend origin
• Rate Limiting - Prevents API abuse
• File Validation - Validates file type, size, and content
• Automatic Cleanup - Removes uploaded files after processing
• Input Sanitization - Validates and sanitizes all inputs

Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling:

Backend Error Responses

{
  "success": false,
  "message": "Error description",
  "error": "ERROR_CODE",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}

Common Error Codes

• UPLOAD_ERROR - File upload failed
• VALIDATION_ERROR - File validation failed
• CONVERSION_ERROR - PDF conversion failed
• FILE_TOO_LARGE - File exceeds size limit
• INVALID_FILE_TYPE - Unsupported file format

Performance Optimizations

• File Size Limits - Prevents large file uploads
• Automatic Cleanup - Removes temporary files
• Rate Limiting - Prevents server overload
• Optimized Builds - Minified production builds
• Lazy Loading - Components loaded on demand
• Image Optimization - Optimized assets

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

1. Check the Issues page
2. Create a new issue with detailed information
3. Contact the maintainer: Nayan Das

Acknowledgments

• docx-pdf - Core conversion library
• React - Frontend framework
• Tailwind CSS - CSS framework
• Express.js - Backend framework

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Made with 💔 by Nayan Das