Life & fun · February 19, 2026
How far can you push file conversion into the browser?
Hi HN, I’ve been experimenting with how much file conversion can realistically be pushed into the browser. Last year I tried compiling LibreOffice headless to WASM. The smallest build I could get was ~150MB — far too large just to convert a DOCX to PDF. That’s when I shifted to a hybrid approach. Today ~90% of conversions run client-side using WASM (FFmpeg, PDF/image tooling, spreadsheets, etc.). The heavier edge cases fall back to a small server pipeline (LibreOffice, Pandoc, Poppler). The main challenges weren’t the libraries themselves, but: browser memory ceilings handling large…
What it does
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN, I’ve been experimenting with how much file conversion can realistically be pushed into the browser. Last year I tried compiling LibreOffice headless to WASM. The smallest build I could get was ~150MB — far too large just to convert a DOCX to PDF. That’s when I shifted to a hybrid approach. Today ~90% of conversions run client-side using WASM (FFmpeg, PDF/image tooling, spreadsheets, etc.). The heavier edge cases fall back to a small server pipeline (LibreOffice, Pandoc, Poppler). The main challenges weren’t the libraries themselves, but: browser memory ceilings handling large files without freezing the UI lazy-loading ~30MB of WASM only when needed Safari vs. Chromium behavior differences FFmpeg.wasm runs at roughly 10–20% of native speed. Acceptable for small/medium files, less so for large media. I also experimented with multithreaded FFmpeg in the browser, but haven’t found a stable setup yet. Curious how others think about the tradeoff between client-side processing vs. fully server-side pipelines. → anythingconverter.com
Does the same job
all alternatives →
- FCFile converters and 75 tools that run in the browserMar 2026 · ▲6
Most file converter sites upload your files to their servers. File Converter Free runs everything client-side using WebAssembly — your files never leave your device. 215+ formats across conversion and compression, 75+ browser-based tools for PDF, dev utilities, text, calculators and network diagnostics — all available in 9 languages. Built this solo. What tools do you wish ran client-side but currently don't? https://file-converter-free.com/en/tools
- ACA Chrome extension that extracts used CSS and combines it into one file2018 · ▲40
just wanted to share this useful tool with you. I have been looking at something like this for a very long time. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/css-used/cdopjfddj... what it does: it analyses your html dom and looks for css classes. Then it extracts it all and combines it into 1 single css file. I used 5 css framworks which was on 340kb kb. This tool made it 36kb!
- OMOffline macOS app to convert Markdown documents2024 · docflex.app · ▲6
Hi HN, I've just launched DocFlex, an offline macOS app that converts Markdown documents into over 30 formats like PDF, HTML, EPUB, LaTeX, and more. Why I built it: As someone who frequently works with Markdown, I found it cumbersome to convert documents into different formats, especially when dealing with multiple files. Online converters weren't ideal due to privacy concerns and the need for an internet connection. So, I created DocFlex to make the process seamless and entirely offline. Key Features: 100% Offline: All conversions happen locally on your machine. Your documents are never…
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