SnapOtter/PRD.md

Stirling-Image: Product Requirements Document

Version: 1.0 Status: Finalized Date: 2026-03-22

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1. Executive Summary

Stirling-Image is an open-source, self-hostable image manipulation suite. Inspired by the philosophy and UX of Stirling-PDF, it provides a comprehensive "Swiss Army Knife" for image processing that is 100% private, simple for non-coders, and powerful for power users.

It eliminates the need for ad-heavy, privacy-invasive online image converters (TinyPNG, Remove.bg, Canva) by providing a professional-grade, self-hostable alternative deployable with a single Docker command.

The one-liner (works on Intel, AMD, and Apple Silicon):

docker run -d -p 1349:1349 -v ./data:/data stirlingtools/stirling-image:latest

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2. Vision & Philosophy

• Privacy First: 100% data sovereignty. All processing happens on the host server. No telemetry, no external API calls. The FBI has warned about malicious online converters - we are the safe alternative.
• "It Just Works": Single Docker container. No Redis, no PostgreSQL, no Python runtime required. One command to deploy.
• Zero Learning Curve: A non-technical user should complete any task in under 3 clicks. The UI follows the proven Stirling-PDF pattern.
• "Stirling-PDF but for Images": This is an unspoken gap in the self-hosted community. Multiple tools have tried (imgcompress, ConvertX, OmniTools) but none has achieved Stirling-PDF's level of polish. We fill that gap.
• Full Product, Not MVP: Every feature is built to production quality from day one.

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3. Target Audience

Audience	Need
Privacy-Conscious Individuals	Don't want to upload personal photos to "free" online converters
Content Creators / Social Media Managers	Batch-resize, watermark, compress 20+ images for multiple platforms
Self-Hosters / Homelabbers	Want a "Stirling-PDF equivalent" for their media library
Developers	Need a quick API or UI for web optimization (WebP/AVIF conversion, favicon generation)
Photographers	Batch processing, EXIF stripping, format conversion, duplicate detection
Small Businesses	Watermarking, branding, social media asset preparation

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4. Technology Stack

4.1 Finalized Stack

Layer	Technology	Rationale
Frontend	Vite + React 19 + TypeScript	No SSR needed; faster builds; no Docker memory leaks (Next.js issue #88603)
UI Components	shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS 4	AI models generate excellent code; composable; accessible (Radix primitives)
Backend	Fastify	30-40% faster than Express; built-in JSON validation; 30-50MB memory baseline
Image Engine	Sharp (libvips) + ImageMagick	Sharp: 4-8x faster than ImageMagick, handles 95% of operations. IM: fallback for edge cases
AI/ML	Python (embedded in same container)	State-of-the-art Python ML ecosystem for maximum reliability. rembg (U2Net/ISNet) for BG removal, Real-ESRGAN for upscaling, LaMa for inpainting, PaddleOCR for text extraction, MediaPipe/RetinaFace for face detection. Node.js calls Python scripts via child_process. Single container — no sidecar needed
Database	SQLite + Drizzle ORM	Zero config for self-hosters; Drizzle: 7.4KB runtime, faster than Prisma with SQLite
Job Queue	Worker threads + p-queue	In-process concurrency. No Redis container needed. Configurable concurrency limit
Authentication	Better-Auth	TypeScript-native; built-in 2FA, rate limiting, password policies; works with SQLite + Drizzle
Monorepo	Turborepo + pnpm	Efficient builds, shared packages, cache
Deployment	Docker (single container, multi-arch)	Multi-stage Debian build. Multi-architecture: linux/amd64 + linux/arm64 (Intel, AMD, Apple Silicon, ARM servers). No size limits — reliability over size. Includes Node.js, Python, Sharp, ImageMagick, Tesseract, libraw, all AI models
Storage	Adapter pattern	STORAGE_MODE=local (default) or STORAGE_MODE=s3 (future SaaS)

4.2 Monorepo Structure

stirling-image/
├── apps/
│   ├── web/                    # Vite + React SPA
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   │   ├── ui/         # shadcn/ui base components
│   │   │   │   ├── layout/     # Sidebar, Navbar, Dropzone, Footer
│   │   │   │   ├── tools/      # Tool-specific UI (CropSettings, CompressSettings, etc.)
│   │   │   │   └── common/     # BeforeAfterSlider, ImagePreview, FileUpload
│   │   │   ├── pages/          # Route pages (Login, Home, Tool pages, Settings)
│   │   │   ├── hooks/          # Custom React hooks
│   │   │   ├── stores/         # Zustand stores (files, settings, theme)
│   │   │   ├── lib/            # API client, utils, i18n setup
│   │   │   └── styles/         # Tailwind config, global styles
│   │   ├── public/             # Static assets, icons
│   │   └── index.html
│   │
│   └── api/                    # Fastify backend
│       ├── src/
│       │   ├── routes/         # API route handlers (one per tool)
│       │   ├── services/       # Business logic (compress, resize, crop, etc.)
│       │   ├── workers/        # Worker thread scripts for heavy processing
│       │   ├── plugins/        # Fastify plugins (auth, cors, upload, swagger)
│       │   ├── middleware/     # Rate limiting, file validation
│       │   ├── db/             # Drizzle schema, migrations
│       │   └── lib/            # Storage adapter, cleanup cron, utils
│       └── models/             # AI model cache directory (gitignored)
│
├── packages/
│   ├── shared/                 # Shared TypeScript types, constants, i18n keys
│   ├── image-engine/           # Sharp + ImageMagick wrapper library
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   │   ├── operations/     # resize.ts, crop.ts, compress.ts, convert.ts, etc.
│   │   │   ├── formats/        # Format-specific handlers (heic, svg, gif, etc.)
│   │   │   └── utils/          # Metadata, hashing, color extraction
│   │   └── index.ts
│   └── ai/                     # Python ML bridge — TS wrappers calling Python scripts
│       ├── src/
│       │   ├── bridge.ts              # Generic Python child_process executor
│       │   ├── background-removal.ts  # Calls rembg (U2Net/ISNet)
│       │   ├── upscaling.ts           # Calls Real-ESRGAN
│       │   ├── inpainting.ts          # Calls LaMa via lama-cleaner
│       │   ├── ocr.ts                 # Calls PaddleOCR + Tesseract
│       │   ├── face-detection.ts      # Calls MediaPipe / RetinaFace
│       │   └── smart-crop.ts          # Calls MediaPipe saliency
│       ├── python/                    # Python scripts (run in venv inside Docker)
│       │   ├── remove_bg.py
│       │   ├── upscale.py
│       │   ├── inpaint.py
│       │   ├── ocr.py
│       │   ├── detect_faces.py
│       │   └── requirements.txt       # All Python ML dependencies
│       └── index.ts
│
├── docker/
│   ├── Dockerfile              # Multi-stage production build
│   └── docker-compose.yml      # For development
│
├── turbo.json                  # Turborepo config
├── pnpm-workspace.yaml
├── package.json
├── LICENSE                     # MIT (open-core model)
├── README.md
├── CHANGELOG.md
└── PRD.md                      # This document

4.3 Docker Architecture

Single container deployment (like Stirling-PDF):

# docker-compose.yml (for users who prefer compose)
services:
  stirling-image:
    image: stirlingtools/stirling-image:latest
    container_name: stirling-image
    ports:
      - "1349:1349"
    environment:
      - AUTH_ENABLED=true
      - DEFAULT_USERNAME=admin
      - DEFAULT_PASSWORD=admin
      - STORAGE_MODE=local
      - FILE_MAX_AGE_HOURS=24
      - CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES=30
      - MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB=100
      - MAX_BATCH_SIZE=200
      - CONCURRENT_JOBS=3
      # S3 Config (ignored if STORAGE_MODE=local)
      - S3_BUCKET=
      - S3_REGION=
      - S3_ACCESS_KEY=
      - S3_SECRET_KEY=
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data          # SQLite DB + settings
      - ./workspace:/tmp/workspace  # Temporary file processing
    restart: unless-stopped

Dockerfile strategy:

• Multi-stage build (builder → production)
• Base: node:22-bookworm (full Debian, NOT slim/Alpine — maximum compatibility and native lib support)
• Multi-architecture: docker buildx with --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 (works on Intel Mac, Apple Silicon, AMD, ARM servers, Raspberry Pi 4+)
• Install ALL dependencies for maximum reliability:
  • Node.js 22 + pnpm
  • Python 3.12 + pip + venv (for AI/ML)
  • Sharp (compile libvips from source with libheif/libde265/x265 for full HEIC support)
  • ImageMagick 7 (for edge case format handling)
  • Tesseract 5 + language packs (for OCR)
  • libraw (for camera RAW format support)
  • libjxl (for JPEG XL support)
  • potrace + vtracer (for image vectorization)
• Python ML packages (installed in venv):
  • rembg[gpu,cpu] — background removal (U2Net, ISNet models)
  • realesrgan — image upscaling (Real-ESRGAN models)
  • lama-cleaner — object erasing / inpainting (LaMa model)
  • paddleocr — OCR (more accurate than Tesseract alone)
  • mediapipe — face detection, landmark detection
  • onnxruntime — ONNX model inference backend
• AI models baked into the image for instant availability (no first-use download delay). Reliability over size.
• Production: Fastify serves both API routes and the Vite-built SPA as static files
• No Docker size limits — expect 3-5GB image. Reliability and cross-platform support are the priority.

4.4 SQLite Configuration

Critical settings applied on every connection:

PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL;        -- Concurrent reads during writes
PRAGMA busy_timeout = 5000;       -- Retry on contention instead of failing
PRAGMA synchronous = NORMAL;      -- Balance between safety and speed
PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;         -- Enforce referential integrity

Database file stored at /data/stirling.db (Docker volume mounted).

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5. Complete Feature Set

5.1 Category: Essentials

#	Tool	Description	Controls
E-01	Resize	Resize by exact pixels, percentage, or social media presets	Width/height inputs, aspect ratio lock, preset dropdown (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, WhatsApp), fit mode (contain/cover/fill)
E-02	Crop	Freeform crop, aspect ratio presets, shape crop	Drag handle crop area, aspect ratio presets (1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 2:3, 4:5, 9:16), circular crop, rounded corners, custom shape masks
E-03	Rotate & Flip	90-degree rotations, horizontal/vertical flip, arbitrary angle	Rotate left/right buttons, flip H/V buttons, angle slider (0-360), rotation preview
E-04	Format Convert	Convert between all supported formats	Source format auto-detected, target format dropdown, format-specific quality options
E-05	Compress	Reduce file size by quality % or target file size	Compression method toggle (Quality / File Size), quality slider (1-100), target size input (KB/MB), before/after preview with file size comparison

5.2 Category: Optimization

#	Tool	Description	Controls
O-01	Strip Metadata	Remove EXIF, GPS, camera info, timestamps	Checkboxes: EXIF, GPS, Camera, ICC Profile, XMP, IPTC. Option to keep specific fields. Preview of metadata before/after
O-02	Bulk Rename	Rename multiple files with patterns	Pattern input (e.g., vacation-{{index}}), preview of new names, date-based naming from EXIF
O-03	Image to PDF	Combine multiple images into a single PDF	Drag to reorder, page size selection (A4, Letter, custom), orientation, margins, images per page
O-04	Favicon Generator	Generate all favicon/icon sizes from one image	Auto-generates: favicon.ico (16/32/48), Apple Touch (180), Android Chrome (192/512), manifest.json. Download as zip

5.3 Category: Adjustments

#	Tool	Description	Controls
A-01	Brightness & Contrast	Adjust brightness, contrast levels	Sliders (-100 to +100), real-time preview, reset button
A-02	Saturation & Exposure	Adjust color saturation and exposure	Sliders (-100 to +100), real-time preview
A-03	Color Channels	Adjust individual R, G, B channels	Per-channel sliders (0-200%), percentage display
A-04	Color Effects	Grayscale, Sepia, Invert, Tint	Effect buttons with intensity sliders where applicable
A-05	Replace & Invert Color	Replace specific color with another, full invert	Color picker with eyedropper, tolerance slider, source → target color selection

5.4 Category: AI Tools

All AI tools use state-of-the-art Python ML models called from Node.js via child_process. Models are baked into the Docker image for instant reliability — no download-on-first-use delays.

#	Tool	Description	Model / Engine	Controls
AI-01	Background Removal	AI-powered subject isolation	rembg with U2Net (general) + ISNet (high detail) models. User can select model.	One-click process, output: transparent PNG. Option to replace background with solid color or image. Model selection (U2Net/ISNet). Batch support
AI-02	Image Upscaling	AI super-resolution enhancement	Real-ESRGAN (x2, x4 models). RealESRGAN_x4plus for photos, RealESRGAN_x4plus_anime for illustrations.	Scale factor (2x, 4x), model type (photo/illustration), before/after slider preview
AI-03	Object Eraser	Paint over unwanted elements, AI fills the gap	LaMa (Large Mask Inpainting) via lama-cleaner. Production-grade Python library.	Brush tool with adjustable size, paint-to-erase interface, inpainting preview
AI-04	OCR / Text Extraction	Extract text from images	PaddleOCR (primary, 80+ languages, higher accuracy) + Tesseract 5 (fallback).	Language selection, engine choice (PaddleOCR/Tesseract), output format (plain text / structured JSON), copy-to-clipboard, download as .txt/.json
AI-05	Face / PII Blur	Auto-detect and blur faces, license plates, text	MediaPipe Face Detection (Google, real-time capable) + RetinaFace (higher accuracy option).	Detection sensitivity slider, blur intensity slider, model choice (fast/accurate), manual region selection for additional blurring
AI-06	Smart Crop	AI detects subject and crops optimally	MediaPipe object/subject detection for saliency mapping.	Target aspect ratio, subject detection preview, manual adjustment

5.5 Category: Watermark & Overlay

#	Tool	Description	Controls
W-01	Text Watermark	Add text overlay (semi-transparent, tiled or positioned)	Text input, font selection, size, color picker with eyedropper, opacity slider, position (center/corners/tiled), rotation angle
W-02	Image Watermark	Overlay a logo/image as watermark	Upload watermark image, position, opacity, scale, tiled repeat option
W-03	Text Overlay	Add styled text directly to images (non-watermark)	Font selection, size, position (drag), color, shadow, outline, background box
W-04	Image Composition	Layer one image on top of another	Position control (drag), opacity slider, blend mode, resize overlay

5.6 Category: Utilities

#	Tool	Description	Controls
U-01	Image Info / Inspector	Show all metadata and image properties	Display: dimensions, DPI, color space, file size, format, bit depth. EXIF data (camera, GPS, date). Color histogram
U-02	Image Compare	Side-by-side comparison of two images	Upload two images, side-by-side view, overlay slider (before/after style), difference highlight
U-03	Find Duplicates	Detect duplicate/near-duplicate images using dHash (difference hash) perceptual hashing for speed + accuracy balance	Batch upload, similarity threshold slider (80-100%), grouped results with side-by-side preview, keep best/keep all/manual select
U-04	Color Palette Extraction	Extract dominant colors from image	Number of colors (3-10), display HEX/RGB/HSL values, export as CSS variables, JSON, or Tailwind config
U-05	QR Code Generator	Generate QR code images from text/URL	Text/URL input, size, error correction level, foreground/background color, download as PNG/SVG
U-06	Barcode Reader	Read QR codes and barcodes from images	Upload image with barcode, auto-detect and display decoded text, copy to clipboard

5.7 Category: Layout & Composition

#	Tool	Description	Controls
L-01	Collage / Grid Maker	Combine multiple images into a grid	Layout presets (2x2, 3x3, 1x3, 2x1, custom), gap/padding, background color, drag to reorder
L-02	Image Splitting	Split one image into a grid of parts	Grid selector (2x2, 3x3, 1x3 for Instagram carousel), preview grid lines, download as zip
L-03	Border & Frame	Add borders, rounded corners, shadows	Border width, color picker, corner radius, shadow (offset, blur, color), padding

5.8 Category: Format & Conversion

#	Tool	Description	Controls
F-01	SVG to Raster	Convert SVG to PNG/JPG at custom resolution	Output resolution (width/height or scale factor), background color (transparent for PNG), output format
F-02	Image to SVG	Vectorize raster images using algorithmic tracing (potrace/vtracer, NOT AI/ONNX)	Color mode (B&W / Color), detail level slider, smoothing, preview, download SVG
F-03	GIF Tools	Resize/crop/convert animated GIFs preserving animation	All standard operations with animation preservation, frame count display, optimize GIF file size

5.9 Category: Automation

#	Tool	Description	Controls
P-01	Pipeline Builder	Chain multiple tools into a workflow. Validated before execution: tools that output non-image data (OCR→text) cannot be followed by image-processing tools. Validation error shown inline.	Linear stack: Add Step dropdown → configure each step → reorder → process. Save as template
P-02	Saved Automations	Save and reuse pipelines	Name, description, list of saved pipelines, suggested templates
P-03	Batch Processing	Apply any tool to multiple images at once	Multi-file upload, progress bar per file, download all as zip, parallel processing

Suggested Pipeline Templates

Template	Steps
Social Media Ready	Resize to 1080x1080 → Compress to 200KB → Strip Metadata → Convert to WebP
Privacy Clean	Strip Metadata → Face Blur → Remove GPS → Compress
Web Optimization	Resize longest edge to 1920px → Convert to WebP → Compress 80% quality
Profile Picture	Circular Crop → Resize to 400x400 → Compress
Watermark Batch	Add Logo Watermark → Strip Metadata → Compress → Convert to JPG

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6. Supported Formats

6.1 Input Formats

Format	Extension(s)	Notes
JPEG	.jpg, .jpeg	Universal
PNG	.png	With alpha channel
WebP	.webp	Including animated WebP
AVIF	.avif	Next-gen format
TIFF	.tif, .tiff	Multi-page support
BMP	.bmp	Legacy
GIF	.gif	Animated GIF support (all frames processed)
SVG	.svg	Rasterized on input via Sharp
HEIC/HEIF	.heic, .heif	iPhone photos (requires libheif in Docker)
JPEG XL	.jxl	Emerging format. Requires custom libvips build with libjxl - may be deferred if build complexity is too high
ICO	.ico	Favicon input
RAW	.cr2, .nef, .arw, .dng, .orf, .rw2	Camera RAW. Requires libraw as explicit Docker dependency. Pre-processing step converts RAW → TIFF before Sharp processing

6.2 Output Formats

Format	Extension	Default Quality	Notes
JPEG	.jpg	80%	Default output format
PNG	.png	Lossless	With optional compression level
WebP	.webp	80%	Recommended for web
AVIF	.avif	50	Best compression ratio
TIFF	.tif	Lossless	Professional use
GIF	.gif	N/A	Animated output supported
JPEG XL	.jxl	75	Next-gen. Requires custom libvips build
SVG	.svg	N/A	Only via vectorization tool
ICO	.ico	N/A	Only via favicon generator
PDF	.pdf	N/A	Only via Image-to-PDF tool

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7. UI/UX Architecture

7.1 Design Philosophy

Replicate the Stirling-PDF UX pattern exactly:

• Atomic tools: Each tool does one job. One click = one task done.
• 3-click rule: No more than 3 clicks from homepage to downloaded result.
• Consistent layout: Every tool page looks the same (upload → configure → process → download).
• Visual feedback: Before/after slider for relevant tools. Progress bars for batch operations.

7.2 Layout Components

Reverse-engineered from Stirling-PDF V2:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [Icon]  Search tools...                    [Theme] [Lang] [↓]│
│ Tool                                                         │
│ Name   ┌─────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┐│
│        │                 │                                  ││
│ [Grid] │  Files  ▼       │                                  ││
│ Tools  │  ⬆ Upload       │     ┌──────────────────────┐     ││
│        │                 │     │                      │     ││
│ [📖]   │  Settings ▼     │     │   Stirling Image     │     ││
│ Reader │                 │     │                      │     ││
│        │  [Tool-specific │     │  ⬆ Upload from       │     ││
│ [🔄]   │   controls:     │     │    computer          │     ││
│ Auto-  │   sliders,      │     │                      │     ││
│ mate   │   toggles,      │     │  Drop files here     │     ││
│        │   dropdowns]    │     │  or click upload     │     ││
│ [📁]   │                 │     │  or paste from       │     ││
│ Files  │                 │     │  clipboard           │     ││
│        │─────────────────│     │  or paste URL        │     ││
│        │                 │     └──────────────────────┘     ││
│        │  [Process]      │                                  ││
│ ────── │                 │                                  ││
│ [❓]   │                 │                                  ││
│ Help   │                 │  Survey · Privacy · Terms        ││
│ [⚙️]   └─────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────┘│
│Settings                                                      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

7.3 Page Types

A. Login Page

• Split layout: Login form (left) + marketing carousel (right)
• Username/password fields
• Default: admin / admin → forced password change on first login
• Clean, minimal design matching Stirling-PDF

B. Home Page (Tool Grid)

• Two view modes: Sidebar (default, recommended) and Fullscreen grid
• Sidebar mode: Categorized tool list (left panel) + dropzone (right)
• Fullscreen mode: Card grid with category headers and tool counts
• Global search bar ("Search tools...")
• Favourites per tool (star icon)
• "Show Details" toggle in fullscreen mode

C. Tool Page (consistent pattern for ALL tools)

1. Tool icon + name at top of sidebar
2. Files section (collapsible): Upload button + file list
3. Settings section (collapsible): Tool-specific controls
4. Process button at bottom (disabled until file uploaded)
5. Main area: Dropzone → Preview → Result with download

D. Automate Page

• Saved automations list
• "Create New Automation" button
• Suggested templates
• Linear pipeline builder

E. Settings Page (Modal Dialog)

• See Section 9 for full specification

7.4 Input Methods

Every tool supports all of these:

1. Drag and Drop - onto the dropzone area
2. File picker - "Upload from computer" button
3. Clipboard paste - Ctrl/Cmd+V a screenshot or copied image
4. URL input - paste an image URL to fetch (with SSRF protections: HTTPS only, blocked private/localhost IPs, 100MB max fetch size, 30s timeout)
5. Multi-file upload - for batch-capable tools

Exceptions to standard tool page layout:

• QR Code Generator (U-05) does not accept image upload - it generates images from text input. Uses a text input field instead of a dropzone.

7.5 Before/After Preview

For tools where visual comparison matters (compress, color adjustments, filters, upscaling):

• Split-screen slider that user can drag left/right
• Original on left, processed on right
• File size comparison displayed (e.g., "4.2MB → 890KB (79% reduction)")
• Real-time preview where performance allows

7.6 Responsive Design

• Desktop (1024px+): Full sidebar + tool panel + workspace (as designed)
• Tablet (768-1023px): Collapsible sidebar, tool panel stacks above workspace
• Mobile (< 768px): Bottom navigation bar, full-screen tool panel, swipe between upload/settings/result

7.7 Theme System

• Light mode (default): Clean whites, soft blues (matching Stirling-PDF light theme)
• Dark mode: Dark grays/navy, high contrast controls
• Theme toggle in bottom-right corner
• CSS variables for easy custom theming via admin settings
• Respects system preference on first visit

---

8. Social Media Resize Presets

Platform	Preset Name	Dimensions
Instagram	Post (Square)	1080 x 1080
Instagram	Story / Reel	1080 x 1920
Instagram	Profile Picture	320 x 320
Instagram	Landscape Post	1080 x 566
Instagram	Portrait Post	1080 x 1350
Twitter/X	Post Image	1200 x 675
Twitter/X	Header	1500 x 500
Twitter/X	Profile Picture	400 x 400
Facebook	Post Image	1200 x 630
Facebook	Cover Photo	820 x 312
Facebook	Profile Picture	170 x 170
Facebook	Event Cover	1920 x 1005
YouTube	Thumbnail	1280 x 720
YouTube	Channel Banner	2560 x 1440
YouTube	Profile Picture	800 x 800
LinkedIn	Post Image	1200 x 627
LinkedIn	Banner	1584 x 396
LinkedIn	Profile Picture	400 x 400
TikTok	Video Cover	1080 x 1920
TikTok	Profile Picture	200 x 200
WhatsApp	Profile Picture	500 x 500
Pinterest	Pin	1000 x 1500
Threads	Post Image	1080 x 1080

---

9. Settings / Admin Panel

9.1 Settings Structure

Modeled after Stirling-PDF's 17-section settings dialog:

PREFERENCES

Section	Settings
General	User info + logout, software update check (opt-in only — disabled by default to respect "no external API calls" philosophy; checks GitHub releases when enabled), default tool picker mode (sidebar/fullscreen), auto-unzip settings, hide unavailable tools toggle
Keyboard Shortcuts	Per-tool customizable keyboard shortcuts. Defaults: Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+1 through Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+8 for top tools. Search bar to find tools

WORKSPACE

Section	Settings
People	User management (admin panel). User count display. Add/edit/delete users. Role assignment (Admin/User)

DEVELOPER

Section	Settings
API Keys	Public API key display, copy, refresh. Documentation links

CONFIGURATION

Section	Settings
System Settings	App name (text input), logo upload (custom branding), available languages, default locale, file upload limit (default 100MB), custom HTML
Features	Feature flags: enable/disable specific tools or tool categories
Endpoints	Enable/disable specific API endpoints
Advanced	Feature flags (alpha features), max DPI, temp file management (base directory, max age hours, cleanup interval minutes, startup cleanup toggle), process concurrency limits

SECURITY & AUTHENTICATION

Section	Settings
Security	Enable login toggle, login attempt limit, login reset time, CSRF protection, JWT configuration (key persistence, rotation, cleanup, retention days, secure cookie)

LICENSING & ANALYTICS

Section	Settings
Plan	Current plan display, upgrade options (for future SaaS)
Usage Analytics	Endpoint usage tracking, visit counts, data type filter (API/UI/All), chart visualization

POLICIES & PRIVACY

Section	Settings
Legal	Terms and Conditions URL, Privacy Policy URL, Accessibility Statement URL
Privacy	Enable analytics toggle, enable metrics toggle, search engine visibility toggle

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10. Authentication & Security

10.1 Authentication Flow

1. First Launch: App starts with default credentials admin / admin
2. Forced Password Change: On first login, user must set a new password
3. Login Page: Split layout (form left, branding right) matching Stirling-PDF
4. Session: JWT-based with configurable expiry
5. Auth Bypass: AUTH_ENABLED=false env var for users behind reverse proxies (Authelia, Cloudflare Access, etc.)

10.2 Security Features

• Login attempt rate limiting (default: 5 attempts, 15-minute lockout)
• CSRF protection (enabled by default)
• JWT key rotation
• Secure cookie option
• Password strength requirements (configurable)
• No external auth dependencies (no SSO for V1 - purely local)

10.3 User Management

• Single admin model (V1)
• Admin can create additional users with User role
• Users can use tools but cannot access settings
• Future: Teams, roles, permissions (for commercial version)

---

11. API Specification

11.1 API Design

• RESTful API with Swagger/OpenAPI documentation
• Every tool has a corresponding API endpoint
• API key authentication (generated in Settings)
• All endpoints under /api/v1/
• Auto-generated Swagger UI at /api/docs
• Per-IP rate limiting applies regardless of auth state (default: 100 req/min per IP)
• Max image dimensions enforced: MAX_MEGAPIXELS=100 (configurable, prevents OOM on decompression bombs)

11.2 API Error Response Schema

All errors return a consistent JSON envelope:

{
  "error": "Human-readable error message",
  "code": "UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT",
  "details": { "format": "psd", "supported": ["jpg", "png", "webp"] }
}

HTTP Status	Code	Meaning
400	INVALID_INPUT	Bad request (missing file, invalid params)
400	UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT	File format not supported
400	FILE_TOO_LARGE	Exceeds MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB
400	IMAGE_TOO_LARGE	Exceeds MAX_MEGAPIXELS
400	INVALID_PIPELINE	Pipeline validation failed (incompatible tool chain)
401	UNAUTHORIZED	Missing or invalid API key / session
429	RATE_LIMITED	Too many requests
500	PROCESSING_ERROR	Image processing failed
503	QUEUE_FULL	Job queue at capacity, retry later

11.3 API Patterns

Single file processing:

POST /api/v1/tools/compress
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Body: file + settings (quality, targetSize, etc.)
Response: processed file download

Batch processing:

POST /api/v1/tools/compress/batch
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Body: multiple files + settings
Response: zip file download

Pipeline execution:

POST /api/v1/pipeline/execute
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Body: file + pipeline definition (JSON array of steps)
Response: processed file download

11.3 API Endpoints (complete list)

Method	Endpoint	Tool
POST	/api/v1/tools/resize	Resize
POST	/api/v1/tools/crop	Crop
POST	/api/v1/tools/rotate	Rotate & Flip
POST	/api/v1/tools/convert	Format Convert
POST	/api/v1/tools/compress	Compress
POST	/api/v1/tools/strip-metadata	Strip Metadata
POST	/api/v1/tools/rename	Bulk Rename (accepts multiple files, returns zip with renamed files using pattern)
POST	/api/v1/tools/image-to-pdf	Image to PDF
POST	/api/v1/tools/favicon	Favicon Generator
POST	/api/v1/tools/brightness-contrast	Brightness & Contrast
POST	/api/v1/tools/saturation	Saturation & Exposure
POST	/api/v1/tools/color-channels	Color Channels
POST	/api/v1/tools/color-effects	Color Effects
POST	/api/v1/tools/replace-color	Replace & Invert Color
POST	/api/v1/tools/remove-background	Background Removal
POST	/api/v1/tools/upscale	Image Upscaling
POST	/api/v1/tools/erase-object	Object Eraser
POST	/api/v1/tools/ocr	OCR / Text Extraction
POST	/api/v1/tools/blur-faces	Face / PII Blur
POST	/api/v1/tools/smart-crop	Smart Crop
POST	/api/v1/tools/watermark-text	Text Watermark
POST	/api/v1/tools/watermark-image	Image Watermark
POST	/api/v1/tools/text-overlay	Text Overlay
POST	/api/v1/tools/compose	Image Composition
POST	/api/v1/tools/info	Image Info
POST	/api/v1/tools/compare	Image Compare (accepts 2 files, returns JSON: { similarity: number, diffImage: base64 })
POST	/api/v1/tools/find-duplicates	Find Duplicates
POST	/api/v1/tools/color-palette	Color Palette
POST	/api/v1/tools/qr-generate	QR Code Generator
POST	/api/v1/tools/barcode-read	Barcode Reader
POST	/api/v1/tools/collage	Collage / Grid
POST	/api/v1/tools/split	Image Splitting
POST	/api/v1/tools/border	Border & Frame
POST	/api/v1/tools/svg-to-raster	SVG to Raster
POST	/api/v1/tools/vectorize	Image to SVG
POST	/api/v1/tools/gif	GIF Tools
POST	/api/v1/pipeline/execute	Pipeline Execution
POST	/api/v1/pipeline/save	Save Pipeline
GET	/api/v1/pipeline/list	List Pipelines
GET	/api/v1/config/formats	Supported Formats
GET	/api/v1/config/presets	Social Media Presets
GET	/api/v1/health	Health Check

---

12. Internationalization (i18n)

12.1 Architecture

• All user-facing strings stored in JSON translation files
• Key-based system: tools.compress.title, tools.compress.description, etc.
• Language files in packages/shared/src/i18n/locales/
• Frontend uses a lightweight i18n library (e.g., i18next)
• Language selector in bottom-right corner (matching Stirling-PDF)
• Default: English (en)
• Locale stored in user preferences (cookie/localStorage)

12.2 Initial Language

• English only for initial release
• Architecture supports adding any language by dropping a JSON file
• Community contributions welcome for translations

---

13. File Management & Cleanup

13.1 Temporary File Lifecycle

1. User uploads image → stored in /tmp/workspace/{sessionId}/
2. Processing creates output in /tmp/workspace/{sessionId}/output/
3. User downloads result
4. Background cron cleans up files older than configured max age

13.2 Cleanup Configuration

Setting	Default	Env Var
Max file age	24 hours	FILE_MAX_AGE_HOURS
Cleanup interval	30 minutes	CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES
Startup cleanup	Enabled	CLEANUP_ON_STARTUP
Max upload size	100 MB per file	MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB
Max batch size	200 files	MAX_BATCH_SIZE
Concurrent processing jobs	3	CONCURRENT_JOBS

13.3 Storage Adapter

interface StorageAdapter {
  upload(file: Readable, path: string): Promise<string>;    // Streams, NOT Buffer (prevents OOM on large files)
  download(path: string): Promise<Readable>;                 // Returns stream
  delete(path: string): Promise<void>;
  exists(path: string): Promise<boolean>;
  listFiles(directory: string): Promise<string[]>;
}

// Implementations:
// - LocalStorageAdapter (default) - uses filesystem
// - S3StorageAdapter - uses AWS S3 / Cloudflare R2 (future)

Why streams: A 100MB upload with 200-file batch would require 20GB of memory with Buffer-based I/O. Streams keep memory usage constant regardless of file size.

---

14. Keyboard Shortcuts

14.1 Global Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + K	Focus search bar
Ctrl/Cmd + /	Toggle sidebar
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D	Toggle dark/light mode
Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F	Toggle fullscreen/sidebar tool view
Escape	Close modal / cancel current operation

14.2 Tool Shortcuts

Shortcut	Tool
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 1	Resize
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 2	Crop
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 3	Compress
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 4	Convert
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 5	Remove Background
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 6	Watermark
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 7	Strip Metadata
Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + 8	Image Info

14.3 Workspace Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + V	Paste image from clipboard
Ctrl/Cmd + Enter	Process / Execute current tool
Ctrl/Cmd + S	Download result
Ctrl/Cmd + Z	Undo last operation (where applicable)

All shortcuts customizable via Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts.

---

15. Concurrency & Processing

15.1 Job Processing Architecture

User Upload
    ↓
[Fastify Route Handler]
    ↓
[Validate file type/size]
    ↓
[Add to p-queue (concurrency limited)]
    ↓
[Worker Thread]
    ↓
[Sharp / ImageMagick / ONNX Runtime]
    ↓
[Store result in temp directory]
    ↓
[Return download URL to frontend]

15.2 Concurrency Controls

• CONCURRENT_JOBS env var (default: 3) - max simultaneous image processing jobs
• Additional jobs wait in queue (FIFO)
• Frontend shows queue position for waiting jobs
• Timeout: 5 minutes per job (configurable)

15.3 Progress Reporting (Server-Sent Events)

Uses SSE (not WebSocket) for simplicity - works with HTTP/1.1, no connection upgrade needed, simpler CORS.

GET /api/v1/jobs/{jobId}/progress
Accept: text/event-stream

Events:
data: { "jobId": "abc123", "status": "processing", "progress": 45, "currentFile": "photo_3.jpg", "totalFiles": 10 }
data: { "jobId": "abc123", "status": "completed", "progress": 100, "downloadUrl": "/api/v1/jobs/abc123/download" }
data: { "jobId": "abc123", "status": "failed", "error": "Unsupported format", "failedFile": "photo_7.psd" }

15.4 SQLite Write Concurrency

All database writes go through a single shared connection (not a pool) to avoid SQLite write contention:

• Worker threads communicate job status to the main thread via parentPort.postMessage()
• Main thread handles all DB writes sequentially
• Reads can use separate connections (WAL mode allows concurrent reads)
• Uses better-sqlite3 (synchronous, faster than async alternatives for SQLite)

15.5 CORS & Static File Serving

Production: Fastify serves both the API (/api/v1/*) and the Vite-built SPA (static files from apps/web/dist/). No CORS needed — same origin.

Development: Vite dev server (port 5173) proxies API calls to Fastify (port 1349). Vite config includes proxy rule:

// apps/web/vite.config.ts
server: {
  proxy: { '/api': 'http://localhost:1349' }
}

15.3 Batch Processing

• Files processed in parallel up to CONCURRENT_JOBS limit
• Per-file progress tracking
• Partial failure handling (continue on error, report failed files)
• Results collected and zipped server-side
• Download as single ZIP file

---

16. Deployment & Configuration

16.1 Environment Variables (complete)

Variable	Default	Description
PORT	1349	Application port
AUTH_ENABLED	true	Enable/disable authentication
DEFAULT_USERNAME	admin	Initial admin username
DEFAULT_PASSWORD	admin	Initial admin password
STORAGE_MODE	local	Storage backend (local / s3)
FILE_MAX_AGE_HOURS	24	Max age before cleanup
CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES	30	Cleanup cron interval
CLEANUP_ON_STARTUP	true	Clean temp files on boot
MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB	100	Max single file upload
MAX_BATCH_SIZE	200	Max files per batch
CONCURRENT_JOBS	3	Parallel processing limit
DB_PATH	/data/stirling.db	SQLite database path
PYTHON_VENV_PATH	/opt/venv	Python virtual environment path
WORKSPACE_PATH	/tmp/workspace	Temp processing directory
APP_NAME	Stirling Image	Custom branding name
APP_LOGO	(default)	Custom logo path
DEFAULT_THEME	light	Default theme (light/dark)
DEFAULT_LOCALE	en	Default language
S3_BUCKET	-	S3 bucket name
S3_REGION	-	S3 region
S3_ACCESS_KEY	-	S3 access key
S3_SECRET_KEY	-	S3 secret key
S3_ENDPOINT	-	S3-compatible endpoint (for R2, MinIO)
MAX_MEGAPIXELS	100	Max image dimensions (prevents OOM)
RATE_LIMIT_PER_MIN	100	Per-IP rate limit (applies even with AUTH_ENABLED=false)
LOGIN_LOCKOUT_MINUTES	15	Lockout duration after failed login attempts

16.2 Docker Volumes

Volume	Container Path	Purpose
data	/data	SQLite database, settings, user data
workspace	/tmp/workspace	Temporary file processing (auto-cleaned)

16.3 Health Check

GET /api/v1/health

Response:
{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "uptime": "2d 5h 30m",
  "storage": { "mode": "local", "available": "45.2 GB" },
  "queue": { "active": 1, "pending": 3 },
  "ai": { "python": "available", "rembg": "ready", "realesrgan": "ready", "lama": "ready", "paddleocr": "ready", "mediapipe": "ready" }
}

---

17. Open-Source & Licensing Strategy

17.1 Licensing Model

Following Stirling-PDF's open-core approach:

• Core (MIT License): All image tools, UI, API, authentication, settings
• Commercial/Proprietary (future): Enterprise SSO, team management, usage analytics, custom metadata, priority support

17.2 Repository Standards

• Public GitHub repository
• Strict .gitignore (no secrets, no node_modules, no AI models)
• ESLint + Prettier for consistent code style
• GitHub Issue Templates (bug report, feature request)
• GitHub Actions CI/CD (lint, test, build, Docker publish)
• CHANGELOG.md with semantic versioning
• CONTRIBUTING.md for community contributors

17.3 README Strategy

The README must prove ease-of-use in 5 seconds:

1. Hero section: One-line description + badges (stars, Docker pulls, license)
2. Quick Start: Single docker run command
3. Screenshot/GIF: Tool grid in action
4. Feature grid: Visual icons for each tool category
5. Configuration table: Key env vars
6. Comparison: "Replaces 20+ online tools" with visual table

---

18. Development Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-3)

• Monorepo setup (Turborepo + pnpm)
• Fastify server with auth (Better-Auth + SQLite)
• React SPA with routing, layout, theme system
• Dropzone + file upload + file management
• Settings dialog (basic sections)
• Docker setup (multi-stage build)
• CI/CD pipeline

Phase 2: Core Tools (Weeks 4-7)

• Image engine package (Sharp wrapper)
• Resize, Crop, Rotate & Flip
• Format Convert (all formats including HEIC)
• Compress (quality + target size)
• Strip Metadata
• Color adjustments (brightness, contrast, saturation, channels)
• Before/After preview slider
• Batch processing + ZIP download
• API + Swagger documentation

Phase 3: Advanced Tools (Weeks 8-11)

• Watermark (text + image)
• Text Overlay
• Image Composition
• Border & Frame
• Collage / Grid Maker
• Image Splitting
• Bulk Rename
• Image to PDF
• SVG to Raster
• GIF Tools (animated support)
• Image Info / Inspector
• Color Palette Extraction
• QR Code Generator + Barcode Reader
• Favicon Generator
• Image-to-SVG Vectorization (algorithmic tracing, not AI)

Phase 4: AI Tools (Weeks 12-15)

• ONNX Runtime integration
• Background Removal
• Image Upscaling (2x, 4x) - Real-ESRGAN Python
• OCR / Text Extraction
• Face / PII Blur
• Smart Crop
• Object Eraser (LaMa via lama-cleaner — production Python library)
• Find Duplicates (dHash perceptual hashing)
• Image Compare (side-by-side + slider)

Phase 5: Automation & Polish (Weeks 16-18)

• Pipeline Builder
• Saved Automations + Templates
• Keyboard shortcuts (customizable)
• Full settings panel (all sections)
• Usage analytics
• i18n architecture
• Mobile responsive polish
• README + documentation
• Docker Hub / GHCR publishing
• Public launch

---

19. Success Metrics

Metric	Target
Docker Run → First Tool Used	Under 60 seconds
Click-to-Result (any tool)	Under 3 clicks
Cross-Platform	Works on linux/amd64 + linux/arm64 (Intel, AMD, Apple Silicon)
Batch Processing (100 images resize)	Under 30 seconds
GitHub Stars (6 months)	500+
Zero external data transmission	0 bytes to third parties

---

Appendix A: Stirling-PDF Feature Mapping

How Stirling-PDF's tool categories map to Stirling-Image:

Stirling-PDF	Stirling-Image Equivalent
Merge	Collage / Grid Maker
Compare	Image Compare
Compress	Compress
Convert	Format Convert
OCR	OCR / Text Extraction
Redact	Face / PII Blur
Sign	Text Overlay / Watermark
Add Password	N/A (images don't have passwords)
Add Watermark	Text/Image Watermark
Crop PDF	Crop
Rotate	Rotate & Flip
Split	Image Splitting
Extract Images	N/A (we ARE the image tool)
Remove Pages	N/A
Change Metadata	Strip Metadata / Image Info
Adjust Colours	Brightness/Contrast/Saturation/Color Channels
Automate	Pipeline Builder
PDF Multi Tool	Batch Processing

---

Document generated 2026-03-22. This PRD serves as the definitive blueprint for building Stirling-Image.