A few weeks ago, I built a small web tool because I needed something simple: a way to manipulate PDF and image files without installing heavy software or creating accounts.
Most existing tools felt either:
- overly complicated
- behind paywalls
- or full of ads and tracking
So I decided to build my own lightweight alternative.
What I built
It's a free online toolkit that runs entirely in the browser/backend, allowing users to process common file tasks:
- Convert images to PDF or other image formats
- Merge multiple PDF files into one
- Add password protection to PDF files (using encryption)
Everything is designed to be fast, minimal, and accessible from any device.
Why this project exists
The main goal was simplicity.
I wanted:
- no account creation
- no email collection
- no hidden paywalls
- a tool that just works
- GDPR compliant tool
It’s mainly built for quick everyday tasks like:
- sending documents
- organizing PDFs
- converting images for administrative use
Tech stack
The project is built with:
- FastAPI (backend)
- Nginx (reverse proxy)
- Cloudflare (DNS + security layer)
- Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS frontend
The focus was more on performance and simplicity than on heavy frontend frameworks.
What I learned
Building a “simple tool” is surprisingly complex when you consider:
- file handling safely
- performance for large files (asynchronous jobs and event queue)
- keeping the UI minimal but usable
- making everything work across devices
Live demo
You can try it here:
https://universal-converter.fr.eu.org?language=en
Or in french language here:
https://universal-converter.fr.eu.org/?language=fr
Future improvements
I plan to add:
- more image formats support
- PDF compression
- OCR features
- OMR features using Audiveris
- mobile UX
Feedback welcome
If you have suggestions or ideas for useful features, feel free to share them.
I’m mainly improving this project based on real usage.
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