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platex

Deploy the service

The platex service does the actual LaTeX compilation. It’s a standalone project that runs anywhere Node.js runs — Vercel, Fly.io, Railway, Render, or your own Docker host. Deploy it once, then point any number of apps at it via PLATEX_SERVICE_URL.

Deploy to Vercel

Section titled “Deploy to Vercel”

  1. Clone and deploy.

    Terminal window
    git clone https://github.com/nandan-varma/platex
    cd platex
    npx vercel deploy

  2. What the build does. Vercel runs npm run build:vercel, which downloads the Tectonic binary for Linux x86_64 (SHA256-pinned) and packs it into the serverless function via includeFiles: "bin/**" in vercel.json. Your service is now live at something like https://platex-xxx.vercel.app.

  3. Point your app at it. In your app’s environment:

    Terminal window
    PLATEX_SERVICE_URL=https://platex-xxx.vercel.app

Deploy elsewhere

Section titled “Deploy elsewhere”

The service is a plain Node.js HTTP server, so it runs on any host. Two common shapes:

For maximum accuracy, the Docker image uses full TeX Live instead of Tectonic:

Terminal window
npm run build:server
docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t platex .
docker run -p 3001:3001 platex

See Self-hosting with Docker for the full walkthrough.

Secure it before going public

Section titled “Secure it before going public”

The service has no auth by default, and compiling is CPU-intensive. Before exposing it publicly, either restrict network access or enable bearer-token auth:

Terminal window
PLATEX_API_KEY=your-secret-key      # on the service

Then send the same key from your app:

Terminal window
PLATEX_API_KEY=your-secret-key      # on the client app

The client sends it as Authorization: Bearer <key> automatically. See Server configuration for auth, concurrency limits, and body-size caps.

Verify it’s up

Section titled “Verify it’s up”
Terminal window
curl https://platex-xxx.vercel.app/health
# → {"status":"ok"}

The /health endpoint never requires auth, so it’s safe for uptime checks. From the client, platex.health() pings the same endpoint.

Where to next

Section titled “Where to next”
Server configurationAuth, concurrency, limits, and body-size caps.
Self-hosting with DockerFull TeX Live for maximum accuracy.
HTTP APIThe endpoints and wire format the service speaks.