Documenso — Open Source Document Signing Platform

What Documenso Does

Documenso handles the entire document signing workflow:

• PDF Upload & Signing Fields: Upload any PDF, place signature fields, text fields, date fields, and checkboxes
• Email Invitations: Send signing requests via email with automatic reminders
• Digital Signatures: PAdES-standard compliant signatures with certificate embedding
• Audit Trail: Complete signing history with timestamps, IP addresses, and verification
• Templates: Create reusable document templates for recurring workflows
• API Access: REST API for programmatic document creation and signing
• Self-Hosted: Full control over data with Docker or manual deployment
• Custom Branding: White-label the signing experience with your own domain and logo

Tech Stack

Self-Hosting with Docker

# Clone and configure
git clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso.git
cd documenso

# Set environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database URL, SMTP settings, and S3 config

# Run with Docker
docker compose up -d

API Integration

import { DocumentApi } from "@documenso/sdk";

const api = new DocumentApi({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

// Create and send a document
const doc = await api.createDocument({
  title: "Service Agreement",
  recipients: [
    { email: "client@example.com", name: "Client" }
  ]
});

// Upload PDF
await api.uploadDocument(doc.id, pdfBuffer);

// Add signing fields and send
await api.sendDocument(doc.id);

FAQ

Q: Is Documenso legally binding? A: Yes. Documenso uses PAdES-standard digital signatures with embedded certificates, which are legally recognized in most jurisdictions under eIDAS (EU) and ESIGN Act (US).

Q: How does it compare to DocuSign? A: Documenso provides core signing features (PDF signing, templates, API) without per-signature pricing. You self-host for full data control. DocuSign has more enterprise features like bulk send and advanced workflows.

Q: Can I use my own SMTP server? A: Yes. Configure SMTP in .env to send signing invitations from your own email domain.

Q: What storage backends are supported? A: Any S3-compatible storage — AWS S3, MinIO, Cloudflare R2, DigitalOcean Spaces.